The Push and Pull of Things
by Cuinawen
Summary: While Kol is on the Other Side he develops an unlikely relationship with Isabella. Now, with Niklaus and Elijah's help, she may be the key to his return. Is New Orleans ready for it? Family and Love above all else… Bella/Kol... Mature content
1. Chapter 1, Echo

_**The Push and Pull of Things, Chapter One, Echo**_

**_While Kol is on the Other Side he develops an unlikely relationship with Isabella. Now, with Niklaus and Elijah's help, she may be the key to his return. Is New Orleans ready for it? Family and Love above all else… Bella/Kol_**

_This will be more of an Originals crossover really, but is Vampire Diaries because of Kol._

**_I don't own The Originals, Vampire Diaries or Twilight. The Originals and Vampire Diaries belong to L.J Smith, Julie Plec, Kevin Williamson and everyone else involved with the shows. Twilight belongs to Stephanie Meyer and everyone involved with the films. I am just having some fun, no copyright infringement is intended._**

* * *

_You know what the other side is like? We're all alone. We watch the people we left behind and we regret our decisions. That's it. ~ Mason Lockwood_

~0~

_Hello, hello  
Anybody out there?  
Cause I don't hear a sound  
Alone, alone  
I don't really know where the world is but I miss it now_

**~*~I~*~**

If you had asked him, Kol couldn't have told you exactly how he had ended up in a hospital room, waiting for a girl he'd never actually met to wake up…

No one could see him of course; that was the curse of being on the Other Side, no interaction with the world you were forced to eternally wander. Not that he hadn't done enough to warrant ending up here; time had given him that much perspective. He wasn't even particularly bothered with the Doppelganger and her brother anymore; he had been trying to kill the boy after all… though he had admittedly been pissed when the Gilbert boy had managed to return to the world again, after only a short time on the Other Side, while he himself had only got a short reprieve before landing right back here… alone.

Time was all he really had now. Time to think and deal with every emotion he was forced to feel, as there wasn't really an 'off switch' when you were here. So the sight of a human girl, a pretty little brunette, accompanied by Cold Ones and clearly aware of what they were was a welcome distraction from the mundane.

In his boredom he'd travelled the country and had somehow ended up in Phoenix. He was at the airport 'people watching' when he'd spotted her and her unusual companions. He was intrigued anyway but when he saw her deliberately give them the slip he couldn't help but follow her, wondering why she was leaving them behind if it was upsetting her so much and then wondering why he actually cared.

It was only as she reached some kind of studio and confronted a scruffy nomad Cold One that he'd understood, and suddenly found himself admiring the girl's bravery. He couldn't remember ever wanting to help a human before, but if he could have he would have torn the nomad to shreds for touching her. Instead he was forced to just watch as she faced her enemy with nothing but sheer guts on her side. Then he watched as the Cold Ones arrived, and she was almost killed again. This time by the penny-haired wonder who didn't stop drinking until long after her blood was clean.

So here he was some hours later, still hanging around the hospital room. The girl had woken up earlier, and that should have satisfied his curiosity but something about the whole situation felt off. He had watched as she woke and the penny-head had gone through the motions of comforting her. It had turned out he was her boyfriend, and Kol didn't even _want_ to know how _that_ worked.

The feigned comfort had quickly turned to him all but threatening to leave her, for '_her own good_' of course, and predictably the young girl had panicked. In her confused state she didn't see the sly smirk on the boy's face, but from where he stood Kol could see it clear as day.

The sparkling arse was obviously using her for something and while Kol was definitely not above using people himself, doing it under the guise of _love_ was distasteful, especially with an innocent.

It was late now, the room had eventually cleared some time ago and the girl, _Isabella_ he reminded himself, was sleeping fairly peacefully. A strange urge hit him, and without thinking he stepped towards her, reaching out his hand, placing it beside her head and closing his eyes.

When he opened them a second later he was in an unfamiliar forest, face to face with Isabella who stared at him with her wide brown eyes. He gaped at her for a second, struggling to believe he'd actually made contact before regaining his composure and smirking at her.

"Before you ask darling, no, you're not dead."

She blushed prettily as he spoke, leaving him with an unexpected desire to see if he could make her blush all over. He shook off the errant thought and cocked his head inquisitively, waiting for her response.

"Um, okay. Who are you exactly?"

**~*~II~*~**

_Almost six months later…_

Bella forced herself to remain still as Edward placed a cold kiss on her forehead and then sagged in relief as he finally left. He was going hunting overnight and tomorrow as it was going to be sunny, and she was glad to get the evening to herself. His behaviour since the Phoenix ordeal had been increasingly frightening. He seemed determined, with Alice's help, to control every little aspect of her life, getting to the point where she could barely sneeze without his input. He tried to play things off as being for her safety, but what she wore, how she spoke and what she ate had nothing to do with safety and everything to do with him being a controlling ass.

The thing that really scared her though was that she probably would have just accepted it if she hadn't had Kol as a friend. He had helped her to see what Edward had been trying to do to her, something similar to what his kind, _real vampires_, called compulsion. Though she was resistant to it, more than any other human he had seen Kol said, Edward's presence had still been gradually fogging her mind. His voice and scent had an almost drugging affect, wearing her down into compliance and making her dependant on him.

Since they had become friends Kol had done his best to support her, even offering his blood on several occasions and it had helped a bit, both with allowing Kol to reach her easier and with her resistance to Edward. Edward had even complained that her scent had changed and started questioning her on her diet amongst other things… another example of his alarming control issues. If she wasn't so afraid she would have already ended things with him but she was genuinely scared of what he would do. And while she had seen the sympathetic looks from Jasper, Emmett and to her surprise, Rose, she couldn't ask them to stand against their 'brother', even if they were willing. Kol had sworn he would find a way to help her out of this situation, but as things stood there wasn't anything he could do.

Bella had never told anyone else about Kol, how could she possibly tell anyone that her unlikely best friend was actually dead? _Very dead_. As in not just a thousand year old vampire but also 'trapped on the Other Side' dead, and in a sort of purgatory where he was supposed to be unable to contact anyone, but for some unknown reason was able to reach her, and only her, in her sleep. She smiled bitterly; she'd be locked up before she could finish getting the words out. Even to her it sounded mad, and she had lived through it.

It had started back in the hospital in Phoenix. Kol had strutted into her dreams and turned her life upside-down. Bella hadn't known what to make of him at first, and he'd been so overwhelmed to have actually made contact with someone that he hadn't known what to say. Once he'd started talking, it had been hard work ever shutting him up, though once she knew his story she didn't mind, knowing she was the only person he got to talk to.

Somehow, against the odds, between his love of talking, her love of hearing about history and their shared sarcastic humour they had genuinely bonded. His many stories of his life and family fascinated Bella and though she probably should have been horrified at the violent, bloody tales it was surprisingly easy to accept Kol's nature. You'd have to be blind not to see how good-looking he was and if Bella was honest, she was falling for the cheeky Original, but she didn't think he reciprocated the feelings, no matter how much he flirted with her.

She sighed as she sat back on her bed. She had missed Kol recently. He had said he was checking up on what his family were up to, and had only been gone for a couple of weeks but it felt like longer. It wasn't usually more than a couple of days between his 'visits' in her head, though he tended to avoid nights that Edward insisted on staying, due to Edward's habit of waking her, claiming he'd thought she was having bad dreams when really she had probably just murmured Kol's name out loud.

It was always harder when she hadn't seen Kol in a while. Edward couldn't find out that she was resisting his effect on her, so she had to go along with pretty much whatever he wanted and it wore her down. Only today she was forced to agree to a party for her eighteenth birthday in a couple of days, it wasn't that she didn't want to celebrate; she just would rather have been doing something else.

The only good thing was that Kol had promised her to be back in time for her birthday, so it wouldn't be long until she saw him again.

~0~

_I'm out on the edge and I'm screaming my name  
Like a fool at the top of my lungs  
Sometimes when I close my eyes I pretend I'm alright  
But it's never enough  
Cause my echo, echo  
Is the only voice coming back  
My shadow, shadow  
Is the only friend that I have_

* * *

Song lyrics are Jason Walker ~ Echo

_Yes, it's another new story from me. I'm not abandoning By Your Side I just had this one rattling around my head too._

_Thanks again TheCoreConundrum for being encouraging and Betaing this story as well :)_

_Reviews are always good :D_


	2. Chapter 2, Find Me Here

_**The Push and Pull of Things, Chapter 2, Find Me Here**_

_I own nothing except the plot… if I did Kol would still be alive and around a whole lot!_

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**~0~**

_Find me here_

_And speak to me_

_I want to feel you_

_I need to hear you_

_You are the light_

_That's leading me to the place_

_Where I find peace again _

**~*~I~*~**

Kol was feeling murderous and while that wasn't unusual for him in the past, it was usually on his own behalf – not someone else's. The events of the evening were playing on a continuous loop in his head as he wished for nothing more than to be corporeal, just so that he could break someone's face.

He had returned earlier that day to find that Bella had been coerced into have a birthday party with the Cold Ones. Irritation had welled up, the sooner she was away from them the better, and he headed over there so that he could at least see she was okay. Two weeks was the longest he'd gone without her company and he had missed it.

He had arrived in time to see her opening her presents and something about the atmosphere there immediately put him on edge. It had almost seemed like slow motion as it happened, the bead of blood welling up on Bella's finger; from a _papercut_ of all the ridiculous things to occur. The southern one charged at her and Kol had raged at his powerlessness as the copper-topped imbecile had damn near thrown Bella across the room into a stack of glass plates.

Fortunately the doctor had stepped in and stitched the gash in Bella's arm up, but Kol was still seething. Something about the night's events just didn't sit quite right with him, and his girl had been hurt. He paced Bella's room agitatedly, waiting for her to _finally_ fall asleep after the ginger mind-rapist dropped her home, it had taken a while to get rid of him for the night. At last she was in bed and by the sound of her breathing had just drifted off.

Allowing himself a small smile at the fact she'd left space beside her in the bed for him, he settled in next to her and placed a ghostly hand on her head, closing his eyes to concentrate.

Bella was standing at the edge of a field waiting, thick woods behind her and somewhere nearby a stream gurgled. The whole place gave off an air of peace. She was completely aware that she was dreaming and judging by the fact she'd found herself here it wouldn't be long before Kol appeared. Somehow she only ever seemed to come to this spot when he was close.

Despite her spectacularly crappy day she smiled as Kol materialised in front of her and stepped forward, grabbing her in a fierce hug before leaning back to look at her. "Are you okay?" he asked worriedly.

"You saw?" she asked hesitantly.

"Oh yes, I saw alright…"

Bella ignored the fact that he was practically growling, knowing it wasn't directed at her. "Good, I was dreading having to tell you about all of that." She waved her arm emphatically and he gently grabbed it, looking at where she was bandaged up.

"I'm ok, I promise."

He hissed out a breath at her assurance and reached out, pulling her close again. His large arms wrapped around her as he rested his chin on her head. Bella leant into him with a sigh. While his temperature wasn't exactly what you'd call warm, it was a far cry from the icy cold of Edward and his family and combined with his unique scent it was comforting. Unlike Edward's cotton candy sweet scent he smelt natural; if Bella had to describe it she'd say it was like the woods after fresh rainfall. His scent tickled her nose and made her stomach feel like it was full of butterflies.

She wondered absently if he had smelt the same when he was alive, and not for the first time she wondered what it would have been like to know him then. Probably very different she imagined; from what he'd told her his experience of being dead had changed a lot of things about him, although he hadn't lost his bloodthirsty tendencies judging by the creative threats against Edward she could hear him muttering quietly above her head.

When he got to one involving stringing him up as a makeshift disco ball she couldn't help the snicker that escaped. She moved back to look at him, gently tracing her fingers across the spider web veins lingering around his eyes. Kol blinked at the action and gave her a cheeky smile, the tension finally leaving him as she laughed.

"A disco ball? …really?" She got out between giggles.

Kol shrugged, still smiling at her. "Well we Mikaelsons do love a party… speaking of which," he looked at her seriously placing his hands on her shoulders as she stopped laughing. "I think we may have to introduce you to my brothers soon."

"Your brothers?" Bella looked at him worriedly.

"Yes darling, in New Orleans there is a witch who may be able to help bring me back, she is certainly strong enough and my brothers happen to know her. I need you to speak to them for me; I am unable to reach them like I do with you." He took in her wide-eyed look and sighed, tugging her closer again. "Don't worry, family is everything to Nik. As you are passing on messages from me he will not lay a hand on you and Elijah is far too honourable to do so."

"Yeah but what about once I'm not passing messages?" Bella mumbled into his chest.

"Then if needs be I would protect you."

They stood in silence for a moment, both relishing the closeness until a thought occurred to Bella.

"What about your sister? You haven't mentioned her."

"Ah dear Rebekah," he exhaled noisily. "I'm afraid my _beloved_ sister may not be at all trustworthy. She seems to have her own agenda in New Orleans and being as she did not mourn my passing for more than a mere moment, I would not want her having any knowledge of my possible return."

Bella nodded, her mind reeling. She heard a lot about his family but the thought of actually meeting them was daunting to say the least. Kol noticed her stiffness and rubbed her back gently. Though he gave no outward sign of noticing, he always enjoyed the way Bella's breath would catch and her heart race when he did things like that.

"It's okay darling, you don't need to worry just yet. Let's deal with this _Cullen_ business first, yes?" Bella stifled another giggle as he spat their name like a dirty word, and Kol smiled as he felt her shake a little against him.

If someone had told him he would ever be in this position -holding a human with no intention of feeding - and actually enjoying it, he would have laughed in their face but here he was. Over the last few months Bella had become important to him, and it was more than the fact that she was the only person he could reach, though that was what had obviously started it. No, he actually _liked_ talking to her, she was warm, funny and sarcastic and not afraid to get in his face, she knew the best and worst of him and didn't care and it was all wrapped up in an oh-so-pretty little package that he had a hard time resisting.

He wouldn't make a move on her now of course; while unwilling on her part, she was spoken for and though this wouldn't have bothered him previously, on this occasion it did. He wasn't in the habit of sharing, not when it was something or someone that mattered to him. No, Bella was most definitely someone he wouldn't want to share.

It was with that thought in his head that he reluctantly pulled away from her again. "I'm sorry Bella, I know this should be a special day… but I'm sure those sparkling arses are up to something and it would be very useful to find out exactly what." She nodded unenthusiastically; as much as she wanted more time with him he was right, they did need to know if something was going on here.

"By the way…" Bella looked up as he spoke. "Happy birthday darling." He leant in and pressed a kiss to her forehead, lingering there for a moment. Bella's eyes slid closed as her skin tingled where his lips touched her and by the time she opened them again he was gone.

**~*~II~*~**

An argument was in full swing as Kol arrived at the Cullen house. Leaning against the wall of the dining room he listened as penny-head and the irritating little spiky-haired bint demanded that the whole lot of them should leave Forks immediately.

Kol was more than happy to agree with that idea, the sooner they were away from_ his Bella_ the better. Somewhere in the back of his mind he noticed the possessive pronoun and thought it over while he carried on observing the group on front of him.

He was surprised that he had actually kissed her; true it was just her forehead but a kiss it was, and it certainly hadn't been planned. In Kol's experience things got complicated when lips got involved outside of feeding, and now he was already referring to Bella as his._ So much for not making a move,_ he smirked to himself and turned his attention fully to the scene in front of him. _No matter, deal with one thing at a time…_

He did note from their behaviour that the big one and the southern one that had attacked Bella seemed to be genuinely upset by the day's events and he would let her know about that later, knowing she would find some comfort knowing that those two at least really were her friends.

The leader and his mate were firmly on the side of their precious _'golden children'_ however and Kol couldn't help but wonder if they knew what their treasured ones had been doing to Bella. If they didn't then they had to be the most unobservant creatures on the planet.

Kol watched as the scheming duo eventually got their own way and the rest of the group began packing while they slipped off into the woods, her following as if to comfort the boy. He followed quickly, listening as they had one of their odd one-sided conversations. Luckily he had listened in on a quite a few of these now and could quite easily decipher what they were discussing.

His fangs appeared and his fists clenched as he listened to them callously plan to abandon Bella broken in the woods before leaving for a few months. The withdrawals from their drugging effect alone would be debilitating. They then planned to return with the assumption that she would be so desperate to see them that she would allow them to control every aspect of her life; she would be their trained pet in every sense.

A low growl rumbled through Kol. He couldn't deny that he cared deeply for Bella and to hear her being talked about this way infuriated him. The only thing that kept him calm enough to listen to their plans was the knowledge that they would fail; his blood had already seen to that. It had helped Bella resist their effect on her and also helped block the all-seeing bitch's power too.

Once they were gone he would get his Bella away from here. Bella's only real tie here was her father, and as they weren't close that was easily dealt with, as was the mother she barely heard from. None of his family had any love for Cold Ones, and with her being the only way to contact him he was certain his brothers would protect her. Though New Orleans wasn't really the safest place to be, she would be looked after there and then they could start working on bringing him back.

Yes, he had spent quite enough time wallowing here on the other side…

**~0~**

* * *

_There we go, chapter two…_

_Song lyrics are from Everything ~ Lifehouse_

_Credit again to my lightning fast Beta TheCoreConundrum._

_Big thanks to everyone who reviewed or followed, you're all awesome._


	3. Chapter 3, Give Me Love

**_The Push and Pull of Things, Chapter 3, Give Me Love_**

_I own nothing except the plot… but I would be more than happy if Kol owned me…_

* * *

**~0~**

_Give me love like never before_

_'Cause lately I've been craving more,_

_And it's been a while but I still feel the same_

_Maybe I should let you go_

_You know I'll fight my corner, and that tonight I'll call ya_

_After my blood is drowning in alcohol_

_No I just wanna hold ya._

**~*~I~*~**

It was Friday at last and Bella was relieved when she finally got out of school; not because it was the weekend but because thanks to Kol's reconnaissance work she knew that today was when Edward was at last planning to break up with her.

He had been increasingly distant over the last couple of days and while a huge part of her was relieved it would be over and she would be able to stop feigning ignorance, a tiny part couldn't help but think of how much this would have hurt her if she had been truly under his influence.

She wondered yet again how they all could think it was okay to treat people this way. Even if the rest of them were not a part of his manipulations, they had still abandoned her without a word; if that was how they treated someone they called _family_ then Bella wanted no part of it.

Edward had asked to come over after school today for the first time in a couple of days and she arrived home to find him parked in Charlie's spot. _Guess he wants to get it over with quick_ she thought wryly and plastered a nervous smile on her face as she followed him into the woods. She was glad Kol had insisted on her having more of his blood the night after he returned. Even two days on it was helping her keep a clear head.

Not five minutes later and it was finished. Bella had managed to look appropriately devastated as he tried to break her, even forcing a few tears out after discretely pinching the inside of her arm hard enough to make her eyes water. She knew she'd have a nice bruise to show for it tomorrow. As he finally left, disappearing into the trees, she waited a few moments then sagged in relief. It was over.

Kol watched Bella with a proud smirk as she put on an acting master class. If he hadn't known otherwise he would have easily believed her to be utterly shattered by the Cold One's actions.

Of course his blood had helped, and he would be giving her more again soon to ward off any withdrawals she might go through now that the poor excuses for vampires had gone.

He smirked as he considered how best to give it to her this time; in the past he had simply bled into a cup and let her drink it. He had found it incredibly amusing when she would close her eyes and pinch her nose before quickly knocking it back the first few times. It didn't seem to bother her now and he wondered if he should introduce her to the fun way. It would certainly be more enjoyable for him if she took it straight from the vein.

He followed Bella back to the house, thoughts of her drinking from him filling his head. There was some higher purpose to it though. He wanted her to contact his brothers soon and she would have an easier time with them if they could smell him on her when they met her in person.

There was more going on in this tiny town than just a group of Cold Ones and he wanted Bella away from here and being protected as soon as possible.

**~*~II~*~**

"You did amazing today darling," Kol told Bella later as they lazed together in the field he usually had Bella dream of. Bella's head rested on his stomach while he lay on his back and played with a stray lock of her hair.

Bella shrugged, blushing. "I'm just glad it's finished, only your family to worry about now I guess."

"Hush, you'll be fine. Although that does remind me…" He sat up slowly, helping Bella up at the same time and shifting their positions so that Bella was sat in between his legs with her back to him. As she tentatively leant back against him at his encouragement, he raised his arm and bit into his wrist before holding it in front of her. "Drink up beautiful."

Bella was a little surprised at the change in their routine for this, and though she still hated human blood, she didn't have an issue with his anymore so she just went with it.

She grabbed his arm, holding it in place as she sucked, warmth bursting through her. The eroticism of drinking straight from him rather than from a cup was not lost on her and she squirmed as heat flared up inside her.

Kol fought back a moan as Bella gripped his wrist, her lips pressing against it. Suddenly he was relieved he had not chosen to have her drink from his neck; he had underestimated what his reaction would be and wasn't sure he would have been able to control himself. His restraint was hanging from a thread as it was and it didn't help being able to tell that she was just as turned on by it as he was. He shifted as she wiggled against him and gritted his teeth, almost sighing in relief when his blood stopped flowing and the wound closed.

Needing a distraction before he threw her down in the grass and had his way with her, Kol stood up slowly and plastered on a smirk. "You know, we should be celebrating darling – you are a free woman now after all, and we missed doing anything for your birthday."

Bella grinned at him; she was a little relieved that she wouldn't have to acknowledge the sexual tension between them. "What exactly did you have in mind? It's not like we can go anywhere."

Kol tapped his fingers against his temple and smirked wider. "You know I can manipulate your dreams, taking us somewhere else is child's play. I think I have just the place. Close your eyes for me."

Bella kept them closed for a moment, waiting to feel something happening. After a few moments of hearing and feeling nothing she decided he was joking around and opened them then looked around in amazement at the place he had brought her to.

She was standing in the middle of a huge entrance hall with marble floors and a split grand staircase wrapping around both sides of the room with twinkling lights covering each bannister.

As she glanced down she realised she was now wearing a dress which surprised her, though she had to admit it was gorgeous. The ruby red silky fabric flowed around her just reaching the floor and felt amazing against her skin.

Footsteps echoed in the vast room and she looked around to see Kol walking towards her. It took nearly all her self-control not to gape at him; instead of his usual jeans and shirt he was in black trousers and a black vest and was smiling cheekily as he twirled a black bow tie around his fingers. His white dress shirt had the top few buttons undone and Bella had the sudden urge to bury her face against the revealed skin and just breathe him in.

Flushing at the thought, she looked down nervously as he stopped in front of her but her eyes quickly shot up to his as he reached out and gently ran a finger underneath one of the thin straps of her dress, tugging it lightly.

"I knew this would be exquisite on you," he said quietly, enjoying the blush his words caused.

His hand moved, making Bella shiver as he slowly brushed his fingers down the length of her arm to her hand. Grasping it gently he brought her hand up, pressing a kiss to the back of it. Realising he wasn't helping with relieving the situation he closed his eyes briefly, concentrating, and music started playing as he pulled her into a traditional waltz hold.

"I don't…" Bella began but was cut off as he smirked and began expertly twirling them.

"Yes, you do. It's just you and me beautiful, no one to see us. Dance with me."

He led her in a simple waltz and Bella gradually got the hang of it, finally relaxing enough to ignore what her feet were doing and lean into him, resting her head against his chest as they moved.

"Where are we and how am I dressed like this?" she asked softly, curiosity getting the better of her. Kol smiled bitterly.

"I'm influencing your dream darling, did you not think that it could include what you wear? You really do look stunning by the way. As for where we are, this was my family's house in Mystic Falls; it looked like this for the ball Esther threw." He chuckled as Bella pulled back to look at him, her eyebrow raised. "Yes, the same ball where she wanted to kill us all. This place came to mind all too easily when I was thinking of somewhere to bring you." He shot her a wry smile. "If it makes you uncomfortable…"

"No it's beautiful; really, I'm more worried about it bothering you."

"You worry far too much about others darling, we'll have to change that… Now, we've already mentioned how ravishing you look, how about we talk about how handsome I am?"

Bella laughed. "Maybe we should be talking about how big that head of yours is instead."

"How you wound me darling, just for that I should demand another dance with you."

He tugged her closer teasingly and was suddenly hyper aware of her body pressed against his. If he'd wanted to break the rising sexual tension between them, bringing her here to dance was definitely the wrong idea. No matter how innocent a plan it had seemed, it didn't take much at all for it to ramp back up again almost instantly.

Bella looked up at him, eyes wide as he stroked the small of her back and finally his control snapped. Unable to resist any longer, a low growl rumbled through his chest as he pressed her even closer. A hand tangled in her hair, angling her head as he leant in and kissed her firmly on the lips.

For a split second Bella stayed motionless, too shocked to move, then instinct took over and she slid her hands up over his shoulders and played with the hair at the back of his neck, tugging it lightly. He groaned softly and slid the hand on her back down to her ass, pulling her up onto her tiptoes and further into his embrace.

She gasped at the feel of him pressed so intimately against her, his arousal obvious, and he took advantage of her parted lips to deepen the kiss. Her head spun as he kissed her thoroughly, twisting his tongue with hers and exploring her mouth. Legs threatening to give out, Bella whimpered as he broke off to let her breathe, turning his attention to her neck with soft open mouthed kisses before darting back to her lips.

This time it was softer as he let Bella explore him in return before slowing the kiss and gently pulling away. Bella reached up to brush her fingers across the veins appearing around his eyes, smiling tenderly. Not willing to verbally acknowledge his feelings, Kol instead grabbed her hand and started dancing with her again, holding her close as the music continued to play.

_Give a little time to me, or burn this out,_

_We'll play hide and seek to turn this around,_

_All I want is the taste that your lips allow,_

_My, my, my, my, Oh give me love,_

**~*~III~*~**

Bella had woken the next morning with a smile on her face. She would have sworn her lips were still tingling from Kol's kisses the night before.

The smile had barely left her face all day making Charlie look at her oddly before he left for work, as he knew the Cullens had left town. Bella hadn't tried to offer an explanation, nothing she could say would make sense and Charlie, having never liked Edward anyway, wasn't really that interested.

Now though, for the first time today, Bella was frowning as she fiddled with the phone in her hand, trying to gather her courage to dial the number Kol had gotten on his trip to New Orleans and made her memorise. Taking a deep breath and fighting off a sudden wave of nausea she pressed the call button and listened to it ring briefly.

"Hello?" A smooth voice answered cautiously.

"Hello, is this Elijah Mikaelson?"

"It is, and whom am I speaking to?" His carefully polite tone only made Bella more nervous.

"My name is Isabella Swan, you obviously don't know me but your brother Kol asked me to contact you." _Nice Bella, real smooth, just blurting it out like that…_

She heard his faint growl down the phone and cringed. "Kol is dead."

"I know," her voice was barely above a squeak now. "He's trapped on the other side but somehow he can reach me when I'm sleeping. I know it sounds ridiculous but he said to tell you 'always and forever' and that it was him that stole Finn's bow when you were alive, even though Nik got the blame for it," she took a deep breath and continued. "Please, he needs your help."

There was a long silence before Elijah spoke again, "I'm listening."

**~0~**

* * *

_Chapter title and Song lyrics are from Give Me Love ~ Ed Sheeran (In case anyone missed the obvious… yes it's the song from the Mikaelson Ball, but then so is the location of their dance so it just fit too well not to use it!)_

_Credit as usual to my lightning fast Beta TheCoreConundrum._

_Big thanks again to everyone who reviewed or followed, you're all awesome._


	4. Chapter 4, Never the Unknown

**_The Push and Pull of Things, Chapter 4, Never the Unknown_**

_I own nothing except the plot… but Klaus totally owns me when he goes all 'bad-ass growly hybrid'…_

_Warning: This chapter is where it starts earning it's 'M' rating... click the back button now if that's not your thing :)_

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**~0~**

_What could make this night_

_Without you at my side_

_I catch myself instead_

_Staring straight ahead_

_You belong to me_

~*~I~*~

_"I'm listening."_

Bella started talking. Unaware that Niklaus had joined Elijah and was also listening, she told him everything. From meeting the Cullens and the disastrous trip to Phoenix and Kol first contacting her; right through to the Cullens leaving. She talked about how Edward had attempted to drug her into submission and how Kol had helped her, visiting her dreams regularly and how Kol thought he had a way to return with a strong enough witch helping.

Elijah said little as she spoke; only asking the odd question to clarify details. Niklaus stayed silent. As she finished her tale the two brothers looked at each other in amazement. This girl's story was extraordinary and if she was telling the truth; that there was the slightest possibility of their brother returning, they had to at least investigate it. While they hadn't always gotten along with Kol, he was family and family means everything.

"You are currently still in Forks now?" Elijah questioned as Niklaus quickly looked up the location on his smartphone. He showed the screen to Elijah who nodded.

"We can be there tomorrow, be prepared to leave with us – you will need to come back to New Orleans to ensure your safety. We can compel anyone if necessary."

"Just my dad, Charlie, he's a sheriff and if I just leave with no explanation he'll keep looking for me. My mother will be fine as long as she gets an occasional email. We thought that telling them both I'm on some sort of early scholarship or exchange program would work."

Raising an eyebrow at her use of the word 'we', Elijah grew curious. "May I ask what the nature is of your relationship with my brother?"

Bella was glad they couldn't see her face turning cherry red as thoughts of slow kisses and his hands holding her close popped into her head. They hadn't really discussed where things stood though. Unsuccessfully trying to keep her embarrassment from showing in her voice she murmured: "I'm not really sure, I guess it's complicated."

The brothers exchanged another look, this time amused. Kol had always enjoyed the fairer sex. "If he's giving her his blood though…" Elijah said quietly enough so that Bella wouldn't hear over the phone. Niklaus nodded, knowing what he was getting at. None of them gave their blood lightly, especially not on any kind of regular basis.

The words left unsaid were ringing clearly between them. _If Kol is giving her blood then exactly how important is she to him?_

While Elijah took down Bella's address and said goodbye Niklaus was back on his phone, this time booking a flight to Seattle where they would drive from. It would take too long to drive there and back, and they couldn't really afford to leave New Orleans for long at the moment.

**~*~II~*~**

Kol was pacing Bella's bedroom impatiently; something he'd often found himself doing lately. The day had seemed to tick by very slowly since he'd heard Bella on the phone with Elijah – and with Nik, though he was sure she was unaware of that detail.

Her conversation with his brothers was playing on his mind. Even though her statement about things being complicated was true, her uncertainty bothered him. He was possessive by nature and considered Bella his – and would as long as there was the slightest chance of coming back – but she didn't seem to realise that.

He wondered if she thought he would no longer want her if he was back in the real world. Though he couldn't say for certain exactly how he felt about her, he certainly had no intention of simply letting her go; he wasn't sure he would let her go even if he was stuck this way.

He sighed irritably. Despite her knowing what the sparkling arse was up to, he and his 'family' had done a real number on Bella. That and the fact her own family didn't show any real affection, it was understandable that Bella would be unsure. However, understanding it didn't mean that he liked it.

As her breathing at last evened out, he laid down in his usual spot and touched his hand to her head, slipping into her dreams with the ease of long practice.

Bella was waiting at the edge of the usual meadow as Kol appeared nearby. She was feeling a little insecure about seeing him tonight; after the kissing the night before they hadn't discussed anything and she wasn't quite sure how to act around him now.

He walked towards her, his face inscrutable and she was suddenly worried about her conversation with his brothers, what if he didn't like the fact they'd asked her about her relationship with him? Should she have denied the possibility?

She opened her mouth to speak but was quickly silenced as she found herself suddenly in his arms, his lips on hers.

There was no slow build up this time. His large hands held her steady, one on her hip and the other in her hair as he claimed her mouth. Her arms wound round his neck as she found herself being walked backwards until her back hit a nearby tree.

Bella's head swam with the sensation of being squashed between him and the rough bark as his lips and tongue worked wonders on her.

Pulling away each time she needed to breathe, Kol alternated between kissing her deeply and raining open mouthed feather light kisses up and down her neck, sucking lightly on a spot he'd found just under her ear which made her moan prettily for him.

She writhed against him and his hand drifted to her ass, lifting her onto her toes as he had the night before, until she could feel every inch of him pressed up against her.

A muffled "_Oh god_," left her as she felt_ exactly_ how much Kol was enjoying this and he grinned briefly into her neck before sucking on _that_ spot again, reducing her to breathy whimpers.

It could have been minutes or hours as far as Kol could tell. He couldn't remember ever getting so much pleasure from simply kissing someone. Realising he was getting to a point where he would be unable to stop himself; he slowly pulled away, admiring her flushed cheeks and kiss swollen lips and definitely savouring the fact that he had caused them.

"You should take some more of my blood darling."

Bella nodded dazedly and Kol couldn't help a satisfied smirk as he led her to a patch of springy grass and sat down with her in between his legs again. Leaning her back against his chest he bit into his wrist and offered it to her, pleased when she took it without hesitation. As before, the feel of her drinking from him tested his restraint and he growled softly.

As the wound closed and she finished he swiftly flipped their bodies, Bella now lying on her back in the grass as he hovered over her, his weight on his elbows to keep from crushing her. He smiling teasingly at her surprised squeal and leant down to slowly kiss her again. Resting on one arm he stroked up and down her side gently until her squirming against him led him to grasp her hip to still her. Burying his face in her neck he slowly and deliberately ground his hips against hers, thoroughly enjoying both the action and the incoherent noises from Bella that it produced.

He repeated the movement and his own eyes nearly rolled back into his head. Feeling that he was once more approaching the point of no return he pulled back again and seeing the rejection clear on her face he stroked her cheek.

"Make no mistake that I want you sweet Bella, but I am nearing the edge of my control and I would not have your first time be in what is little more than a dream state. If… no _when_ I am to have you, then it will be in the flesh, in the real world, so that there can be no doubt that you are mine."

Bella nodded, tears prickling her eyes. Somehow he had known exactly what she had needed to hear. Seeing her slightly watery smile Kol rolled onto his back and tucked Bella against his side, his arm around her and she snuggled into him, her head on his chest.

The sound of his slow heartbeat underneath her was soothing and Bella closed her eyes slowly drifting off. As he heard her breathing even out, Kol looked down at her with an amused smile at the fact she had fallen asleep whilst already dreaming.

_Always aimed at you_

_Never need to choose_

_Never the unknown_

_Never left alone_

_You belong to me_

**~*~III~*~**

Bella sighed as she realised she'd glanced at the clock at least half a dozen times in the last few minutes. Full of nervous energy she had already cleaned the kitchen and the bathroom and packed her bags; hiding them in her wardrobe should Charlie come home and spot them. Now it was only lunchtime and she had run out of things to keep herself occupied.

Elijah hadn't actually specified when he'd arrive, which meant she could have a long wait ahead and clock-watching wouldn't help. It was a rare warm and _almost_ sunny day outside so she decided to take a book into the garden to kill some time.

Spreading out an old quilt on the grass, she lay on her stomach propping herself on her elbows. It took a while, but eventually she got into the book in front of her. It was one Kol had suggested she might like and she was pleased to find she was enjoying it.

Kol watched Bella reading, grinning as he noticed she had left a space next to her on the quilt just as she did in bed at night. He wondered if she was aware she had done it.

Out of a lack of anything else to do, he settled next to her reading the book as she did.

Some time passed and it was late afternoon when Kol heard something, his sharp hearing picking up a noise in the woods backing onto the garden. He jumped to his feet reflexively as he heard a rustle and growled at the familiar frustration of being unable to warn Bella. A moment later a twig snapped nearby and Bella's head jerked up at the noise, but it was too late. By the time she scrambled to her feet a dark shape had appeared at the edge of the treeline.

A familiar dark-skinned Cold One stepped out, looking at Bella curiously and for a second Kol was almost glad Bella couldn't hear him as his loud reaction would probably have frightened her.

"Laurent?" Bella questioned and in spite of the dire situation Kol couldn't help feeling proud of the way she kept the fear out her voice – his girl certainly had some backbone in her.

He watched, utterly helpless as the Cold One approached Bella with a predatory smile, and just as he considered praying for a miracle he heard it. It was some distance away but there was definitely something crashing through the undergrowth, and coming towards them by the sound of it. Kol knew about the La Push shifters, had made it his business to know about anything that could harm Bella, and while they were not his ideal choice, they could at least attempt to protect her – which was more than he could do at the moment.

"You are lucky I found you first really," Laurent was saying to Bella conversationally "Victoria would want you to suffer… I at least will make it quick." He sounded like he was simply discussing the weather.

The crashing through the woods was getting nearer. _Stall him Bella,_ Kol thought desperately. _Please… just keep him talking…_

Bella took a step back. "You know you didn't pick the best day," Bella told Laurent, only the slightest waver in her voice. "I'm actually expecting visitors and I don't think they'd be pleased if you killed me."

"You mean the Cullens?" Laurent scoffed. "I am aware they left you behind, you see they came to where I was staying in Alaska, very convenient of them. I am supposed to be saving you for Victoria of course, but you smell delicious and I am so very hungry…"

He lunged forward and seemingly out of nowhere a hand closed around his neck, stopping him dead.

Kol's desperate shout died in his throat and he almost sobbed in relief as he recognised the person suddenly in front of him, staring at the Cold One much like you would look at a bug squished on your shoe.

"Who are you?" Laurent choked out.

"That is of little consequence, now _what_ exactly are you doing here?"

"The girl… she's marked for death, mate for a mate." Bella huffed quietly; she despised being referred to as Edward's anything.

The vampire glanced at her briefly before looking back at Laurent. "I don't believe the girl in question agrees with that assessment."

"That doesn't matter to Victoria, she lost her mate because of this human and she wants payback."

"Perhaps it might convince you if I did tell you who I am? You see, I am Elijah Mikaelson and this girl is most certainly off limits. I would suggest you tell this _Victoria_ the same thing, or _neither_ of you will like the results should you come near her again." He stares at Laurent unwavering before a mocking smile graced his face. "In case you missed it… that _was_ a threat."

Elijah tightens his grip around the creature's throat for a second, some dark part of him enjoying the feeling of the marble skin beginning to crack beneath his fingers.

He tightens his hand further for a second before he throws him away in disgust, watching with satisfaction as he staggered to his feet and fled into the forest.

Turning back to Bella his stance softens. "Miss Isabella I presume, it would appear our timing was extremely fortunate."

Bella nods, only now taking in the other male standing to one side watching everything with a satisfied smirk, but before she can reply, the crashing in the woods gets louder and three massive furry shapes burst out from the tree line. As they skidded to a halt she stumbled back in alarm, Kol had told her about the La Push shifters but to see them in the colossal flesh was another matter entirely.

In an instant the second man, who she can only assume is Niklaus, is standing beside Elijah a few paces in front of her. He is so fast that she literally doesn't see him move. As she squeaks in surprise he looks back at her, the smirk gone now - he looks deadly serious and his eyes are an eerie yellow colour instead of the blue she would have sworn they were just now.

As he turns back to the huge wolves in front of him the deep rumbling growl that escapes him sends shivers down Bella's spine and makes the hair on the back of her neck stand up. She can practically feel the power rolling off him and apparently so can the wolves as they almost seem to cringe back at the sound.

The largest wolf seems to shake himself out of it and, after a quick glance at his two companions, heads into the trees. A few seconds later he reappears, this time as a large Quileute man that Bella vaguely remembers being called Sam.

"Shifter," Elijah says neutrally. Though it has lowered intensity, Niklaus is still growling beside him.

The Quileute nods stiffly in acknowledgment before speaking. "You don't smell like anything we've come across before. Who and what are you?"

Elijah raised an eyebrow. "_Who_ we are is of no concern to you; however I would think you would be able to recognise a vampire when you see one."

"You're not like any vampire we've seen. Nothing like the one we were tracking here."

Niklaus stopped growling, letting out a derisive laugh.

Also amused by the ignorance of the man in front of him, Elijah smirks, "You are referring to a cold one, not a vampire. They are a different thing entirely." He waved his hand carelessly towards the forest. "It ran in that direction if you still wish to follow it." His tone is disdainful – neither one of the originals are particularly impressed with the shifters. Sam nodded to one of the wolves anyway and it quickly disappeared, heading in the direction Elijah had indicated.

"Something else you needed mate?" Niklaus asked sardonically, actually speaking for the first time. If the situation wasn't so tense Bella would have laughed, he sounded like he was thoroughly enjoying himself.

"You're both vampires?" Sam questioned suspiciously.

"Well he is," Niklaus indicated his brother. "But me, I'm something a little extra." He didn't elaborate. _Yep, definitely enjoying himself_ Bella thought.

Sam growled in irritation, not liking the subtle disrespect. "What is your intent here?"

"Our _intent_," he sneered, "was simply to pick up the girl, _Bella_…" Niklaus turned a little and inclined his head to her. "Sorry love, haven't had time to introduce myself properly, as you're already aware I am Niklaus." He winked, and Bella covered her mouth as a slightly hysterical giggle threatened to break out. "Of course that plan's already somewhat gone to hell, but no matter. Are your bags packed love?"

A loud snarl from the huge wolf next to Sam made Bella flinch and Niklaus returned it with a low growl of his own, his eyes briefly flashing yellow again as he again faced the shifters.

"If you're under the impression that you have any say in this, then I am afraid you are mistaken." Elijah said calmly. "It is Bella's decision to come with us."

"What about Charlie?" Bella snorted at this, Sam was grasping at straws now.

"What about him? I know he loves me… but let's be honest; I'm not much more than a glorified housekeeper here. He'll be safer if I'm gone," she smiled wryly, "and he lived without me cooking for him long enough before, I'm sure he can manage again." She glared at Sam. "I don't really see what it's got to do with you anyway, it's not like you even know me."

"If it will ease your mind," Elijah spoke up, "We mean no harm to Bella, quite the opposite in fact."

"Suppose we believe you…" Realising he had no choice Sam had started backing down trying to save face, but Niklaus, growing irritated with the conversation, was having none of it.

"We don't much care what you believe; the girl is coming with us with or without your agreement. The only part you get to decide is whether or not we rip your throats out before we leave."

"If it your choice to leave…" Sam said slowly, knowing he was defeated.

"It is," Bella said firmly.

"I don't understand it, but we cannot stop you. We will look out for Charlie of course."

"I'd expect no less," she replied. "Charlie will be under the impression that I'm on a scholarship program, please keep it that way." Her voice softened at Sam's assenting nod. "I know you don't understand why I need to leave, but then it's not really your place to. Just know it's better for everyone."

Sam eyed them all for a moment longer before nodding to the other wolf. They both loped away quickly into the trees, following the path the other wolf had taken earlier.

Niklaus grinned as they disappeared from sight and turned to Bella. "Ah at last I can say a proper hello, love."

Bella looked at him wide eyed as the events of the last few days finally caught up with her. Her eyes rolled back in her head as she pitched forward.

Niklaus caught her easily as she fainted. He shifted her in his arms then inhaled, catching a familiar scent. His lips twisted up into an amused smirk. "You know Elijah… she seems to smell awfully like our brother."

_Always aimed at you_

_Never need to choose_

_Never the unknown_

_Never left alone_

_You belong to me_

**~0~**

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_Lyrics and chapter title are from You Belong to Me ~ The Boxer Rebellion_

_Credit to my fabulous Beta TheCoreConundrum_

_Thank you as ever to everyone who has reviewed, followed, etc... I hope you enjoy this chapter_


	5. Chapter 5, Eyes Wide Open

**_The Push and Pull of Things, Chapter 5, Eyes Wide Open_**

_I own nothing except the plot… and some yummy Original vampire posters framed on my wall, but I doubt that counts for much._

_This chapter definitely earns it's rating, if you don't like it, please don't read it._

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**~0~**

_Eyes wide open up in front of me,_

_See the world as though I'd never seen her before_

_And I scream aloud that I've found my home_

_That I won't be lonely anymore_

**~*~I~*~**

It was only a matter of moments before Bella woke, still in Niklaus' arms much to her humiliation.

"Ah, there you are." He smirked down at her; gently setting her on the steps leading up to the back door as she looked at him horrified.

"Oh no," she muttered uncomfortably. "Tell me I didn't…"

"Yes love, I'm afraid you_ did_. Falling into my arms… what would people say? I mean we've only just met." His smirk turned wicked as he teased her. "Although, being as I can smell him all over you, perhaps I should be asking what my little brother would say. I know I'm irresistible, but I'm quite sure he wouldn't appreciate you throwing yourself at me…"

Elijah chuckled, amused as Bella quickly scooted away from Niklaus, putting some distance between them. "Now now brother, there's no need to embarrass the girl."

"Ah but Elijah, it's not every day that a woman literally falls at my feet, and she does have such a lovely blush." He looked back at Bella, winking again as her cheeks flushed even darker. "It would seem Elijah is lucky enough to have so many women flinging themselves in his direction that he is quite unaffected by it."

His tone was conspiratorial and Bella giggled quietly through her embarrassment. "I can definitely tell you're related to Kol."

"Indeed love, now care to invite us inside?"

Bella nodded and scrambled to her feet, heading up the couple of steps to the back door. She reached the door and looked back. "Would both of you please come in?"

Niklaus and Elijah looked around the small kitchen curiously as they entered, but didn't say anything; It seemed Bella would have a bit of a shock when she saw the scale of their house in New Orleans. Elijah followed Bella upstairs to retrieve her bags as Niklaus poked around downstairs.

"I'm not sure what time Charlie will be home." Bella said as she trailed back down behind Elijah. "But he is probably down at the station if you want to catch him there."

Niklaus looked up just in time to see Bella wobble on the last step and, alerted by the look on Niklaus' face, Elijah quickly shifted the bags he held; freeing up one arm and turned, neatly catching her.

"Does this happen often?" Elijah questioned with a small smile, letting go of her once she'd found her balance again.

Bella thought for a second, one thing she had learnt from her time with Kol was that if she acted embarrassed now she would never hear the end of it. "Well," she said smiling brightly up at him. "I've already fallen on Niklaus today, I couldn't have you feeling left out now could I?"

Niklaus laughed loudly telling Elijah "I like her," in between chuckles.

Bella smiled, feeling surprisingly at ease with the two extremely dangerous men. Though their demeanours both screamed predator, she was used to it from being around Kol and actually found the slight air of menace that surrounded them oddly comforting.

Compelling Charlie before they left Forks had proven fairly easy, although the innate cop in him had Charlie making Bella promise to get a new phone and give the number to him even with the compulsion. Bella quickly agreed and Charlie was left behind, happy with the impression that Bella had gone off on an early scholarship and was actually staying with old family friends.

The drive to Seattle only took a couple of hours and before long they were on board a flight to Dallas, where they then caught a short connecting flight to New Orleans. It wasn't ideal, but it was much faster than trying to drive the whole way and they could only leave Hayley alone for a short time before it became dangerous.

They used the travelling time getting to know each other; though they had to be careful what they discussed in a plane full of people. It was early days, but Bella really thought she could quite easily get along with both Niklaus and Elijah.

It was fairly late when they arrived in New Orleans, so stopping only for a quick take-out dinner, they headed straight to the house. Hayley was pleased to see Elijah back at least and was understandably curious about Bella, though they told her very little except that Bella would be living with them too.

One of the things they had discussed on the plane was who exactly should know about Kol's contact with Bella and for the time being they had decided to keep it amongst themselves. Many of the witches and vampires alike were not happy with having three Originals back in New Orleans, if any of them knew there was a possibility of Kol returning from the dead and becoming the fourth, the chances are they would do whatever they could to stop it, putting Bella's life in very real danger.

**~*~II~*~**

_Follow me,_

_Help me out_

_I have no guarantees_

_But shade of a safe house_

"You know, this is really is kind of uncomfortable," Bella commented later that night as she tried to get settled enough to sleep on the comfortable bed. "The both of you being here."

The two brothers were seated in the bedroom with her, waiting for her to go to sleep so that they could attempt to enter her mind as she dreamt and speak with their brother.

"Surely you're used to it love." Niklaus replied, "With our brother and all."

"Yes, but I couldn't actually see him," she fidgeted again. "Sheesh, I thought it was bad enough with Edward always trying to spy on me sleeping, can you two just stop watching me and read or something please?"

The two vampires exchanged a look and left the room, returning a few moments later. Elijah carried a leather journal and a pen while Niklaus had a sketchbook and a few pencils. The settled in a seating area across the room and when she saw that they no longer appeared to be looking at her, Bella finally managed to relax, snuggling under the blanket and closing her eyes. Unaware, as she drifted off, that despite looking as if they were paying no attention, it was actually her that Niklaus was sketching and Elijah was writing about.

Her breathing eventually evened out and the brothers rose, slowly coming to her side as she slept, a peaceful smile on her lips. They sat on the edge of the bed at one side, mindful that the space she'd left on the other side of her was probably where Kol was at that moment. With a quick nod to each other they laid their hands on her head as she had previously told them to and concentrated. There was some slight resistance at first and a frown briefly crossed Bella's face before she then relaxed, almost as if she subconsciously recognised their presence.

The forest was the first thing Elijah registered as he appeared in Bella's dream, Niklaus beside him. He turned and, trying to get his bearings, stopped short as he caught sight of his youngest brother locked in an embrace with Bella.

They were not kissing, instead Kol had his face buried in her hair as he held her tightly to him, yet it seemed just as intimate as any kiss. Kol was speaking softly to her; quietly enough that neither Elijah nor Niklaus could hear the actual words, as he ran his hand up and down her back. Bella had one hand gripping his shirt, her face pressed to his chest.

Niklaus was oddly silent at the sight, so feeling a little uncomfortable at witnessing what seemed to be a private moment, Elijah coughed politely to get their attention.

Kol looked up, smiling as he saw his brothers standing there. He looked back down at Bella and planted a lingering kiss on her forehead as he pulled away, grabbing her hand as he did and walking towards them. The subtle message he was sending very clear; Bella came with him as a package deal.

"Long time, brothers." He smirked as he got closer, stopping a few paces in front of them.

"It is good to see you Kol," Elijah stepped forward and clasped arms with him before pulling him into a brief hug, a rare show of real emotion visible on his face.

He moved back to make room for Niklaus, who stared at Kol like he couldn't believe his eyes. "I saw you die." He whispered harshly before embracing him roughly. Kol embraced him in return, knowing that out of his siblings Nik had truly mourned his death.

Niklaus let go of Kol and turned to Bella. Much to her surprise he pulled her into a brief but fierce hug, smirking at her stunned face as he pulled back.

"My turn to throw myself at you love," he grinned roguishly as Bella blushed.

Kol watched amused as Nik teased Bella; he was relieved that his brothers both seemed to accept her. If they hadn't it wouldn't have changed his feelings for her, but it made life a lot easier that they did.

"When you've finished flirting with my girl…" He said dryly, the slight smile belying his words. Bella looked down, smiling shyly; Kol had never actually called her that before.

"We should take this somewhere more comfortable," Kol continued. In a blink they were standing in the lounge of the plantation house. Moving across the room Kol claimed the couch, gently tugging Bella to sit down beside him as his brothers each took a chair facing them.

Once they were settled Elijah spoke. "What do we need to do?" He asked, getting right to the point.

"Well you already have contact with the young witch, that's good. She needs to be on our side as we'll need her for this. We can't actually drop the veil to allow me to cross over; we've seen before how much it takes to do and what happens after." He shook his head, remembering his part in those events; he'd been a lot angrier then. "What we need her to do is make a small hole, an opening."

"Yes the witch, Davina, she has issues with control but I suspect that she's certainly powerful enough. I have promised some pages from mother's Grimoire in return for her assistance previously." Elijah replied.

"She has a fondness for a human boy," Niklaus broke in thoughtfully. "Perhaps an offer of protection for them both may work in our favour. What I don't understand is how a small gap would affect you; there must be thousands of tiny openings that no one can get through."

"Well, normally it would affect anything, but that's where Bella comes in. She can be my anchor to your side, and if we create an opening right here, where we both are, she should be able to help me pull myself through."

"Well you seem to have a strong connection…" Elijah said slowly, fascinated by seeing his youngest brother being so openly affectionate. "You have shared blood often?"

"Well you know she's had a lot of mine," Kol replied offhandedly.

"You haven't tasted her? Why?" Bella would have giggled at the gobsmacked look on Niklaus' face if she hadn't been curious about the answer herself.

"It's not like I actually need blood here," Kol answered his disgust with that fact clear, he'd always enjoyed feeding. "I don't get thirsty, so I saw no reason to ask for something I don't really need."

Elijah saw the look of surprise on Bella's face and, catching Niklaus' eye, stood up. "Perhaps we should allow you to discuss this without us here," he said smoothly.

"Until next time brother," Kol said as Elijah shook his hand and patted Bella on the shoulder before disappearing. Niklaus nodded at them both before following Elijah.

Back in the bedroom again Elijah and Niklaus looked down at Bella who was still asleep.

"I think our little brother just might be in love."

**~*~III~*~**

Kol and Bella remained on the sofa, shifting slightly he moved so that Bella could cuddle into his side.

"Why have you never asked…?" Bella said quietly, trailing her question off. Kol knew what she wanted to know though.

"Exactly the reason I just said darling, I don't need it."

"But don't you miss it?"

He chuckled this time, "I'm a _vampire_, of course I miss it, but it doesn't matter. I honestly don't even know if it's possible."

"If we were to try, would it hurt?" Bella asked

"Not if I don't want it to, quite the opposite in fact." Bella couldn't see his face but she knew he was smirking. She smiled to herself, if he wasn't taking her questions seriously, as she suspected he wasn't, then he was about to be surprised.

"Do you want to try?"

Kol blinked in shock and tilted his head, looking down to meet her eyes as she gazed up at him. "What?"

She flushed but kept her eyes on his. "I said do you want to try?"

"Yes, that's what I thought I'd heard." Kol grinned suddenly, "Are you serious?" At her nod he turned to face her properly, looking at her intensely. "You really want to try this?"

As she nodded again he moved, quickly lifting her onto his lap facing him, her knees either side of his hips. Ignoring her startled squeak he kissed her enthusiastically, only breaking away when she needed to breathe.

"I don't know what good thing I could possibly have done to deserve you," he mumbled into her neck between kisses. Finding his favourite spot he sucked on the skin there making Bella cry out in pleasure and unconsciously grind down onto him, her action producing a low rumble in his chest at the feel of her.

Keeping one hand tangled in her hair Kol slid the other down to her hip, helping her to keep slowly moving against him. Her soft moans only added to his own gratification as he focussed on bringing her to a point where her desire would easily overwhelm the slight initial pain of his bite.

His lips and tongue worked their way down her neck, pausing here and there as he discovered new spots that made her whimper. Making his way to her collarbone and licking the hollow there, enjoying the way she ground just a little bit_ harder_ as he sucked.

Sinking his teeth into her was bliss, oh how he had _missed_ this, and the taste of her blood as it hit his tongue was nothing short of euphoric. "_Fuck, Bella_," he gasped harshly as he broke away for a second before returning to drink from her, a noise somewhere between a growl and a deep moan escaping him.

The hand on her hip moved to grip her ass, as he shifted his hips upwards, unable to stop himself grinding against her.

"Oh," Bella gasped as he drank, the slight sting quickly fading into sheer ecstasy, "Oh_ god._"

With the bite amplifying the sensations, everything fell away until it was just her and Kol moving together as he held her tightly. The delicious heat inside her rose and Kol gently guided her body, allowing him to hit every spot she needed him to as he thrust against her.

She was dimly aware of her legs beginning to tremble and her body tingled from head to toe and then he pulled down against him hard. Starbursts exploded behind her eyelids and it was like drowning, as wave after wave of euphoria washed over her.

Kol thrust twice more and then followed her over the precipice, calling her name with a hoarse shout.

As they came down, Kol gently licked Bella's neck, sealing the puncture before biting lightly into his wrist and offering it to her. Both their wounds healed quickly as Bella took just enough blood from him to heal before collapsing boneless against him.

Kol wrapped his arms around her, her head tucked beneath his chin as she sat, still astride him. A satisfied rumble left him as she sighed contentedly. Seeing her with her head thrown back and her face flushed as she came apart in his arms was quite possibly the most beautiful thing he'd ever witnessed, and knowing he would be the only person to see her this way made his chest constrict with an unfamiliar feeling.

"I didn't know it could be like that." Bella said softly.

"Neither did I, Darling," Kol replied, gently kissing the top of her head, "It's _never_ been like that."

_Let go, let go_

_For tomorrow,_

_Is all a new day_

_Not too far away_

**~0~**

* * *

_Chapter title and Song lyrics are from Safe House ~ The Boxer Rebellion_

_Credit as usual to my Beta TheCoreConundrum_

_*So I am aware I'm probably nearing the boundaries of FFnet's rules for adult content... just in case this becomes an issue, all my recent writing can also be found on my wordpress site. Link is on my profile._

_*Authors note*_

_Sorry I usually hate author's notes but I have to say... Wow, just wow… the response I've had to this story has blown me away. I started writing this story hoping that maybe a few people might enjoy it, as I enjoy writing it. I never could have expected to hit 100 reviews within hours of posting chapter 4. I'm truly amazed and you guys are all awesome. _

_(Oh and to Jana, if you had a FFnet login I'd reply directly to you... your reviews have all made me smile. Thank you)_


	6. Chapter 6, Come Crashing In

**_The Push and Pull of Things, Chapter 6, Come Crashing In_**

_I own nothing except the pl_ot_… If I did own it... well I'd probably still be writing, but in a much fancier location_

* * *

**~0~**

_Words like violence_

_Break the silence_

_Come crashing in_

_Into my little world_

_Painful to me_

_Pierce right through me_

_Can't you understand_

_Oh my little girl_

**~*~I~*~**

The next morning found Niklaus and Elijah sitting in the living room as Bella came down for breakfast. Niklaus was reading and Elijah was flicking through an ancient Grimoire, but they set aside their books as Bella walked in on her way to the kitchen – one of the only rooms beside her own that she could find so far.

"You know," Niklaus began conversationally after they'd exchanged polite greetings, "I don't think I've ever come across someone who talks in their sleep quite so clearly. Did you sleep _well_, love?"

"Oh my God." She groaned in humiliation, hiding her face in her hands and hurrying past them on her way to the kitchen.

"Yes, I seem to remember hearing you say something similar to that last night, though not quite in the same manner. It must have been some _conversation_ you were having with our brother…"

"You shouldn't tease her so Niklaus." Elijah cut in. Bella paused in the doorway and was about to thank him for defending her when he continued with a slight smirk, "I'm sure they got plenty of _talking_ done."

For a moment Bella wished the ground would open up and swallow her; though a small part of her did wonder how they could make perfectly innocent words sound so dirty. Holding her head high she kept going into the kitchen, getting herself a glass of juice.

She took a moment to compose herself and make some toast. Heading back out, plate in hand, she ignored Niklaus' amused smirk as she brushed past him to get to a seat.

"You had Kol's blood again." He stated as he caught her scent. Bella nodded, the traitorous blush spreading across her cheeks again as she munched on her breakfast.

"Did he have yours this time?" Elijah asked and as Bella nodded again her face flaming, Niklaus' smirk turned knowing.

"Well blood and sex often go hand in hand love." He grinned.

Bella shook her head, "I wouldn't know… I… we…" she sighed and looked at Niklaus who was no longer smirking at her. "I've never… I can't believe I'm actually having this conversation with you right now."

"How is that even possible? …well I see why you didn't go for it with your ex, I mean no one wants an ice cold…" Niklaus trailed off, shaking his head in disgust.

Bella shuddered in revulsion, "Yeah, that was _never_ going to happen," she agreed.

"Anyway, why not have this conversation with me? I'm over a thousand, love; lots of life experience here." He ignored Elijah's amused snort as he got up to go to the kitchen, stopping on the way to look back at Bella with a wicked grin.

"Though if you're waiting for my brother to be back on this side, we'll have to consider soundproofing… going by last night you're bound to be a screamer."

"Ass!" Bella hissed as he ducked into the kitchen laughing.

He came back out a few moments later, glass of blood in hand. Bella wrinkled her nose as he lifted it to his lips.

"Something wrong love?" he asked pointedly, seeing her expression.

"No, sorry," Bella answered sheepishly. "I really don't care about you drinking it; I just don't like the smell."

Niklaus lowered the glass and looked at her for a long moment before laughing loudly. "Oh that is priceless! You're _involved_ with my brother, yet you don't like the smell of blood."

"I'm aware of the irony," Bella replied smiling slightly, she could see the humour in the situation. Kol had howled with laughter when she'd first told him, then insisted she had to build up some kind of tolerance if actually she wanted to be his friend. The memory made her snicker quietly. "At least it doesn't make me faint anymore."

Another loud chuckle escaped Niklaus as Elijah shook his head smiling.

"You've been taking Kol's blood without issue." Elijah commented.

"Yes, but it took me a while, and it doesn't smell the same. It's sweeter I guess."

"Speaking of which," Elijah looked thoughtful. "We are fortunate that Rebekah is away at the moment. If she should return we'll be unable to keep this from her. The scent of our brother is unmistakeable on you, and Rebekah has good instincts, she'll know if she's being lied to."

"Who's lying about what now?" Hayley walked in having heard the last couple of words of Elijah's comment. Her eyes narrowed as she saw the new girl sitting with the brothers. She was sure she could hear Niklaus laughing just now and she wasn't really sure what to make of it. She didn't think she'd ever heard him genuinely laugh without some sort of malice involved.

When they had returned last night she had hoped she would get to spend some time with Elijah, but instead they had both locked themselves up with this mystery girl and even afterwards Elijah had barely spared her a glance.

"Nothing you need to worry about, little wolf." Niklaus responded. Hayley looked at him sceptically but continued through the room into the kitchen.

The room was silent as she came back out with her bowl of cereal, and it annoyed her that they seemed to have stopped talking just because she was there.

"So not to be rude here, but is anyone actually going to tell me why we have a new houseguest?"

"Well now, that's really not your concern." Niklaus answered dismissively as Elijah raised an eyebrow at her bitchy tone.

"Yeah, well pregnant werewolf here. Forgive me for wanting to know who I'm suddenly sharing living space with." Hayley snapped.

Bella, having already finished the last of her toast, quietly got up and headed to the kitchen with her empty glass and plate. "I'll just… Um, I need to go…" she muttered as she came back out and left the room, not wanting to upset the pregnant woman.

"For someone who said they were not trying to be, you certainly did a fine job of being ill-mannered." Niklaus said coolly as he picked up the book he had discarded earlier.

Elijah cleared his throat, looking at Hayley. "I understand your worry and if it will calm you, I can assure you that Bella means no harm to anyone here. However, that being said, there is no call for being so disrespectful, especially when you are a guest in this house yourself."

Hayley looked down, ashamed; somehow Elijah had the ability to make you feel like a scolded child without even raising his voice. All she'd wanted was to spend some time with Elijah, now he was upset with her, and she hadn't meant to be quite so rude.

**~*~II~*~**

The next time Bella saw Hayley she was in the kitchen. She had spent the morning exploring the plantation and was just coming in with some apples she'd found in the orchard.

"Hey," Bella said uncertainly. "Do you want an apple? There are loads of them."

"Yeah sure."

She held out the basket for Hayley to take one, rolling her eyes at the dismissive response. It appeared she would not be making friends easily here. She was about to leave the kitchen when Hayley yelled in pain behind her.

Compassion overcame the irritation as Bella asked: "Are you okay? What happened?"

"No clue, but it felt like I was just stabbed with something." Hayley answered, one hand reaching to her neck and coming away with her fingers bloody.

She took the paper towel Bella handed her and cleaned herself up, and then looked at Bella suspiciously. "Why are you being nice?"

Bella sighed, "Look I get that you're worried, I really do, but all I can tell you is that I'm not here for anything to do with you. Niklaus and Elijah don't want anyone knowing why I'm here." Hayley nodded grudgingly, she understood what the secrecy was like with the Original family – after all they had wanted as few people as possible to know about her too.

Bella continued calmly. "It's fairly obvious that you don't like me, but we need to try and at least get along here, there's enough to deal already with without making things harder."

Kol watched closely as the werewolf thought over Bella's words. He didn't like the girl but Bella was right, it would be easier if they could tolerate each other and though he was reluctant to admit it, technically speaking she was family. That only went so far though and Bella was his priority.

As he watched he could see the wolf swaying on the spot slightly and he grew concerned. While he didn't care for her, it _was_ his niece or nephew she was carrying. Bella had noticed the swaying as well and he watched his girl, being too damn nice for her own good as always, help the wolf into the other room to sit down before pulling out her new cell phone to call Elijah.

"Elijah, there's something wrong with Hayley…" Bella said as soon as he answered and though it was in poor taste Kol couldn't help his snort of amusement. _You can say that again…_

Even from the other side, his superior hearing allowed him to hear Niklaus demanding to know the whereabouts of the witch Agnes and he smirked as he heard the Harvest mentioned. He had known of that particular ritual from his previous time in New Orleans, having known the witches of that time well, and though usually it would be bad news the fact that this time it had been interrupted and had given Davina so much power would work in his favour. With Elijah passing her pages of their mother's Grimoire it wouldn't be too long before she could open up a doorway for him.

He observed with interest through the evening as Elijah had returned with the witch in tow then, after retrieving the herbs she asked for, had gotten into the swimming pool with the wolf and held her in an attempt to calm her and cool her rising temperature. He had snickered as he saw the obvious attraction between them. _Well at least it's not another Petrova doppelgänger brother…_

Then, after the linking spell was apparently broken just in time and Elijah had gone to change from his wet clothes, he had been entertained as he watched his Bella look at Sophie for a long moment and say, "You do know this Agnes is going to die, right?"

The witch had looked at her blankly and Kol was somewhere between proud at Bella's perceptiveness and deeply amused when she'd sighed and continued. "Elijah promised that _Niklaus_ wouldn't kill her, he didn't promise that_ he_ wouldn't."

Still chuckling to himself, he had followed Elijah out of sheer curiosity, just to see what he would do and hadn't been disappointed as the violence from an angry Elijah had been magnificent as ever. However, his amusement had faded into anger of his own at Elijah's last words to Agnes. _Nobody hurts my family and lives? Indeed brother, what about the people who killed me, did that not apply to them?_

Kol was deep in thought as he had left the church and wandered the busy French Quarter.

He had truly believed that he'd let go of most if not all of the anger he'd felt towards his brothers over his death, but now he wasn't so sure. While he still felt much the same towards Niklaus who hadn't really sought retribution but had at least genuinely grieved for him, to hear Elijah say such a thing when he'd neither reacted _nor_ retaliated for him in any way was hard to swallow.

It was obvious when he thought about it that Elijah had at least had some feelings for the doppelgänger, though whether they actually ran deeper than simple respect was anyone's guess. Did those feelings excuse Elijah for not seeking revenge? He would have said no in a heartbeat at one time, but though he hated to admit it things had changed for him, and now he wasn't quite so sure.

_If Bella hurt my family could I forgive her?_

That was the real question here, if he could forgive Bella that kind of trespass, did that mean he should forgive Elijah for doing a similar thing in forgiving his killers?

He sighed in irritation and wondered if it was possible to get headaches when you were dead – because if it was, all the deep introspection was bound to give him one eventually.

Not having to worry about anyone seeing him, he sped back to the plantation house. He'd had quite enough of wandering and chewing things over for one night. Perhaps if he was lucky Bella would be off to bed soon…

**~0~**

_All I ever wanted_

_All I ever needed_

_Is here in my arms_

_Words are very unnecessary_

_They can only do harm_

* * *

_Lyrics and chapter title are from Enjoy the Silence ~ Depeche Mode_

_Credit as ever to my excellent Beta TheCoreConundrum_

_Bit of a different chapter here… hope you enjoyed it :)_


	7. Chapter 7, All That I Am

**_The Push and Pull of Things, Chapter 7, All That I Am_**

_I own nothing except the plot… and a particularly yummy signed Nathaniel Buzolic picture that may or may not have inspired some of this chapter just a bit :)_

* * *

**~0~**

_We'll do it all_

_Everything_

_On our own_

_We don't need_

_Anything_

_Or anyone_

**~*~I~*~**

Panic was the first reaction Kol had when he arrived back at the plantation house to find Bella knocked out cold. Then a surge of irritation at his girl _yet again_ being hurt or in danger while he was unable to do anything, just how many more times was it going to happen?

Nik had arrived back just after he did and had immediately gone on alert and checked the house for anyone lingering there, arriving back in the hallway where Bella lay just as Elijah returned from having gone to see the young witch Davina to tell her Agnes was now dead by his own hand.

Elijah had been feeling reasonably satisfied about the evening when he'd got back to the house. While he hadn't liked to see Hayley in danger, it had been settled now and Agnes was a piece of work that he definitely considered the world better off without. Davina had also been happy to hear of her death when he'd quickly stopped by which was a huge step to bringing the teen over to their side. Especially if Marcel did as they suspected he would and attempt to keep the news from her. His good mood had quickly faded however, as he came home to the sight of Niklaus carefully lifting an unconscious Bella up and moving her to the nearest couch.

It had been a huge relief to Kol that Elijah had arrived back shortly after Nik, despite his current conflicted feelings towards him. Of all of them, Elijah had the most level head in a situation. Nik – and Kol himself if he was honest – were certainly not known for their calm reactions.

Feeling some measure of relief now that both his brothers were here and able to take care of Bella for him, Kol's thoughts momentarily turned to his own situation. Once this latest crisis was over they really needed to start arranging things for his attempt to return; there were only so many times he could stand seeing Bella in trouble and be unable to do a thing.

While Bella slowly regained consciousness Elijah had called Rebekah, much to Kol's annoyance. Though he understood why, it could place Bella in a lot more danger if Rebekah decided to go to Marcel when she found out exactly what Bella was there in New Orleans for, and unfortunately Kol was fairly certain she would do just that.

Bella woke up fully and groaned in pain. Her head felt like it was going to explode. She squinted up at the brothers, her vision fuzzy around the edges as she blinked at them. "Hayley?" she sat up quickly then whimpered as the throbbing in her head intensified.

"She's gone," Elijah said softly. "What do you remember?"

"I… he was fast. Dark hair… I think maybe just a bit shorter than you. I didn't see much, I'm sorry." She whimpered again as her head pounded harder in her agitation.

Elijah rested a hand on her shoulder, gently easing her back down on the sofa. While Niklaus looked for any clues as to the attacker he walked into the kitchen returning with an empty glass. Bella watched as he turned slightly to hide his face from her as it changed, quickly biting into his wrist and letting the blood spill into the tumbler.

He held it out to her, looking a little uncomfortable. "I am sure you would prefer my brother's, but it would not be advisable to sleep until you are healed and there are no guarantees that his would be able to heal you from the other side."

Bella nodded and took the glass, draining it quickly and sighing in relief when it quickly started working. She took in Elijah's awkward stance and smiled softly. "It doesn't bother me you know."

He looked at her questioningly and she indicated the area around her eyes and elaborated, "The whole '_game face_' thing, it really doesn't bother me. In fact I barely notice it."

His face was disbelieving now and she laughed. "Elijah, if you're expecting me to suddenly be frightened of you, it's not going to happen. It's obvious you're in control of it. Besides, did you miss the part where I told you about _Kol_ being in my dreams? I've spent months with him getting all '_fang-y_' every time he got pissed off, which as you know for him is pretty often. Honestly I'm used to it; it really doesn't bother me, especially when it's not actually directed at me."

Elijah nodded, still not entirely at ease.

Niklaus came back into the room and Bella steeled herself. "Go ahead. You need to find her and I'm okay here."

They both stared at her for a long moment and Bella was surprised by the amount of concern for her on Niklaus' face. Eventually, Elijah nodded. "Keep your phone close, we'll keep checking in."

Bella agreed as Niklaus also demanded that if she saw or heard anyone she would call them. Satisfied with her consent they left the house, calling Rebekah again and arranging to meet her on the way.

She sighed once they had left. It was the early hours of the morning and though she was tired and her head still kind of hurt, she knew she would be unable to sleep. Apart from being worried about what happened to Hayley, she was feeling a little wired after having Elijah's blood. _Oh well_… she thought, _guess I need to find something to do…_

**~*~II~*~**

_Let's waste time_

_Chasing cars_

_Around our heads_

_I need your grace_

_To remind me_

_To find my own_

Bella was in the kitchen when she heard them return. As she walked out she was shocked to find herself suddenly slammed into the wall with a very pissed off blond right in her face.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" the blonde, who Bella assumed was Rebekah, hissed at her before her expression briefly changed to one of confusion as she took in Bella's scent.

"How do you smell like him?" she asked as she thumped Bella into the wall again.

With a snarl and a flurry of movement, the weight pressing into Bella was suddenly gone and she blinked in surprise to see Rebekah now firmly pinned by a growling Niklaus.

"Who the hell is she?" Rebekah spluttered, "And why the bloody hell does she smell like our _dead_ brother?"

"You are one to talk dear sister," Niklaus smirked unpleasantly as he let her go, stepping away from her, "Or did you think that we wouldn't notice that you absolutely _reek_ of Marcel?"

"That is none of your business." Rebekah snapped, dusting herself off and smoothing out her rumpled clothes.

"Touché sister and it's also none of _your_ business who she is," he gestured to Bella "Though you should know that she is under both mine and Elijah's protection, so I wouldn't recommend touching a hair on her head again."

Rebekah glared as Elijah came to stand beside Niklaus in a silent show of unity, furious that he hadn't taken her side. "Tell me this isn't actually about _Kol_… that you aren't trying to bring him _back_ or something." she scoffed angrily. "Why would you even want to do that?"

Bella seethed, even as a little piece of her heart ached for Kol, though he'd hate her feeling like that on his behalf. This was one of the few times she had ever wished that he didn't see everything, because even if they weren't close that had to be hard for him to hear.

Neither Niklaus nor Elijah answered Rebekah, just silently watched as she shrank back slightly from their identical cold expressions. She glanced from one to the other and seeing no reprieve from either visibly gathered herself, gave Bella one last dirty look and quickly left the house.

"Was she right?" Hayley's voice broke the silence. "Is that what's going on, you're trying to bring back your brother?"

"It's none of _your_ business either." Niklaus snarled viciously at her making her flinch away from him as his eyes flashed yellow. Glancing round at Bella and Elijah he left abruptly, needing some space and knowing that Elijah would take care of anything needed.

Hayley left a moment later, not meeting either of their eyes before she headed upstairs quietly, resentful that Elijah hadn't stood up for her, and trying to ignore the stab of jealousy she felt at Bella's apparent closeness with him.

Once they were alone Elijah turned to Bella. "Are you hurt?"

Bella shook her head, "No, just a couple of new bruises," she smiled at Elijah's slightly sceptical look, "I'm fine, really… and you know I'll only get asked again…" she trailed off.

Elijah smiled faintly, catching her meaning, and followed her into the kitchen. "You should get eat and get some rest; you've had a long couple of days."

Bella nodded. "There's apple pie if you'd like some…" she shrugged sheepishly at his raised eyebrow, "There was a shit load of apples and I couldn't sleep …"

Elijah chuckled in surprise; the more he got to know her, the more he could appreciate what Kol saw in the young woman in front of him. "Some apple pie would be most welcome, thank you."

Bella cut them each a piece and they ate holding their plates as they leant against the kitchen counter. Bella looked him up and down, taking in the jeans and long sleeve top he was wearing and smiled. "I think this is the first time I've seen you in something other than a suit."

Elijah looked down at himself and smirked, "It does happen occasionally."

"What happened out there?" Bella asked suddenly, "Niklaus just seemed so _angry_…"

Elijah sighed heavily before he spoke. "The person who took Hayley did not wish to harm her," he held up a hand, silencing Bella as she opened her mouth to ask a question, "He was a hybrid and an old enemy of Niklaus' from Mystic Falls, he was here to test a theory. It would appear that the blood of Niklaus' unborn child is capable of creating more hybrids…"

Bella gasped, sickened. "Let me guess, Hayley accused Niklaus of already knowing that."

A bitter smile curled Elijah's lips. "I would have believed it myself before recent events. Had I not taken a moment to look closely at his reaction… he truly had no idea."

They finished their pie in silence, Elijah taking Bella's plate as she got herself some juice, downing the first glassful then refilling it to take upstairs with her.

"You should get some sleep." Elijah told her gently.

Bella agreed tiredly; though it was only early afternoon she was utterly exhausted. She hadn't managed to sleep properly yet and the lingering sore head from the night before had not been helped by Rebekah banging her up against a wall.

She trudged up the stairs, unaware of Elijah coming out to hallway to watch her progress, ready to move should she stumble in her fatigued state. He kept his eyes on her, only turning away as she safely reached the top.

He was guilty of wronging his youngest brother more than once, but this was something he could do right for him. He could protect the woman that Kol clearly loved, and as long as Kol was unable to do it himself he would gladly protect her in his stead.

**~*~III~*~**

_All that I am_

_All that I ever was_

_Is here in your perfect eyes, they're all I can see_

_I don't know where_

_Confused about how as well_

_Just know that these things will never change for us at all_

It was a familiar position for Bella and Kol. He was stretched out on his back, one arm pillowed under his head, his free hand absently playing with Bella's hair as she lay cuddled up against his side, her head resting on his chest.

When she had finally gone to sleep and started dreaming Kol had been there instantly, running his hands over her, checking for any unseen injuries, and then pulling her tight against him as he buried his face in her hair.

"I was worried," he said, his face still hidden.

"I'm okay," Bella breathed, her face pressed into the hollow at the base of his neck. She had inhaled greedily, his scent tickling her nose and triggering the butterflies in her stomach as it always did.

Now, she lay curled up with him in the grass, her hand tracing random patterns on his stomach. She snickered as he twitched underneath her fingers, his hand coming down to grab hers, stopping its movement.

"Are you _ticklish_?" she snorted.

"No,." Kol said unconvincingly as he held onto her hand to stop her moving it any more.

"You _are_, aren't you?" Bella snickered again as she managed to wiggle her fingers against him making him twitch under her again.

Moving quickly, Kol had her underneath him in a flash. "I am not _ticklish_," he growled playfully at her. "But I bet you are…"

His fingers lightly dug into her ribs making her squeal with laughter as he tickled her. "I give, I give." she giggled breathlessly.

He looked down at her, her eyes shining as she gazed up at him and could have sworn he felt something shift deep inside of himself. For the first time, he knew with absolute certainty that he would never be able to let her go, he would want her forever – _love_ her forever.

His hand stroked lightly up and down her side, the teasing atmosphere changing as she wriggled underneath him, her body unable to decide completely whether it still tickled or just felt good.

On his next upward stroke Kol slowly slid his hand under the hem of her tank top, lightly trailing his fingers up her side. As he brushed against her bare skin Bella shivered, his fingertips sending sparks of desire through her.

"Okay?" Kol asked quietly as he felt her tremble against him. She nodded and reached up to touch his cheek as he smiled cheekily at her. "Good."

He dipped his head and brushed his lips against her forehead, her cheek and then finally her mouth, swallowing her whimper as he manoeuvred himself to rest in between her legs.

Though he could feel every delicious inch of her like this, he was unable to reach her neck as he wanted when he pulled away to let her breathe so he shifted his hands to her back, bracing her against him as he moved. He moved to his knees, easily lifting Bella with him so she was straddling him, her knees falling either side of his hips as he sat back.

Satisfied with the new position he kissed her thoroughly, tangling a hand in her hair as the other hand slid back underneath her clothing, fingers delicately tracing up and down her spine. Breaking the kiss he gently tilted her head so he could lavish attention on her neck, kissing and sucking, savouring the breathy moans he coaxed from her and the way she pressed herself against him as she tilted her head back.

Feeling his face change as he fought for control Kol pulled back, closing his eyes and breathing harshly.

"Hey," Bella called softly as she watched him fight his instincts, "It's okay, I don't mind."

Kol slowly opened his red-filled eyes and looked at her, and the depth of emotion Bella saw there suddenly threatened to overwhelm her. He leant forward but instead of going for her neck like she had expected, he pressed his lips to hers.

It wasn't particularly gentle, his lips were demanding against hers as she returned the kiss eagerly. She felt his fangs graze her bottom lip and on impulse she ran her tongue over one, testing it's sharpness as he shuddered under her at the sensation. With a quick flick she nicked her tongue and though the sting made her flinch momentarily, it was completely worth it.

She never even got a hint of the blood as he devoured her mouth, a low deep growl rumbling out continuously from his chest and vibrating pleasurably against her as he pulled her impossibly close. Her hips moved instinctively as she ground down on him, the wonderful heat making her gasp as Kol left her mouth, finding that spot near her ear that just felt _so good_.

His right hand moved from her back to her side as his left also drifted underneath her clothes, curving around her ass, smirking slightly at her surprised squeak as he touched her bare skin there for the first time and guided her movements against him.

Feeling brave, she slipped her hand under his shirt brushing her fingers up his back, revelling in feeling him inhale sharply at her touch. Her other hand slid up around his neck tugging lightly on the hair there, his rough moan doing delicious things to her as he leant his forehead against hers.

"There are not words enough for how much I _need_ you." He breathed as he looked at her. The intensity in his eyes made Bella shake as she looked back at him, losing herself in his gaze, unable to form words as he helped her keep shifting her hips against his.

Forcibly reminding himself that he wanted to wait to actually bed her Kol kept the motion up, loving the breathy whimpers that escaped her as she came closer to the edge. "That's it darling," he murmured, "So close… oh my sweet girl, once I'm back, this will be _nothing_ compared to what I'll do with you. I'm going to feast on you until you forget your own name and all you can scream is mine. I'm going to spend _days_ just worshipping you… touching you, teasing you, being_ inside_ you…"

"Oh, oh… _Kol_…" Already on the brink, his erotic words sent her flying off the cliff, keening his name.

Not far behind her, Kol finally gave into temptation and with a quiet growl of "_Mine_" sank his fangs into Bella's skin between her neck and shoulder as he ground into her harshly.

Her taste flooded his senses making his eyes roll back in his head. The overstimulation had Bella screaming soundlessly in his arms and he thrust against her erratically as she violently came for a second time. Kol joined her only a moment later with a loud shout of her name.

Coming to his senses he registered Bella still gasping for breath and rubbed his hand soothingly up and down her back, carefully shifting their bodies so that he was on his back again, Bella half laying on him as he slowly brought her down from her high. "Shhh darling," he crooned as she curled into him, trembling from the intensity of it, "It's okay, I've got you…"

He kept his arms around her as her breathing slowly evened out and eventually she fell asleep, her head resting on his chest.

**~0~**

_If I lay here_

_If I just lay here_

_Would you lie with me and just forget the world?_

* * *

_Chapter title and Song lyrics are from Chasing Cars ~ Snow Patrol_

_Credit as always to my fab Beta TheCoreConundrum who has her own Twilight crossover fic posted now, so go check it out :)_

_So um yeah, Kol apparently has a dirty, dirty mind... hope you all enjoyed it :)_


	8. Chapter 8, Help Me Stand

_**The Push and Pull of Things, Chapter 8, Help Me Stand**_

_I don't own anything except the plot…_

* * *

**~0~**

_This is the burden that I carry_

_And it goes back a hundred years_

_Mmm but all the shit I did,_

_I am done with it_

_You've got every right to leave_

_But stay with me_

**~*~I~*~**

Niklaus managed to arrive back at the plantation house in a calmer state than he'd left it in. The accusation from the wolf had bothered him greatly; though it had admittedly taken him some time to warm up to the idea of having a child, the possibility that he would again be able to make hybrids had not even occurred to him.

A smirked flickered across his face as his sensitive hearing faintly picked up Bella calling out in her sleep again from upstairs. His younger brother seemed to be wasting little time in debauching his still innocent mate, even just in her dreams. Soundproofing would definitely have to be a consideration in the future when it came to those two.

Though it did turn his thoughts to his younger brother's current situation… Something would have to be done soon, especially now that Rebekah had an inkling of what was going on. It surely wouldn't be long before she told Marcel and attempted to put a proverbial spanner in the works.

Finding Elijah in the sitting room he headed for the kitchen, pouring himself a glass of bourbon before returning to join his older sibling. They sat in companionable silence for a while as Elijah continued to leaf through one of their mother's old Grimoires.

"Anything of interest?" Niklaus asked as he indicated to the book, growing bored with the quiet. Elijah smirked briefly at his brother's apparent inability to just stay still. The thought occurred to him that it would only get worse once Kol returned and he would then have both of them to reign in, though he suspected that Bella would be of great assistance in that regard.

"There is one spell I have found described here…" Elijah began, flicking back to the correct page. "But there are certain requirements, Bella would certainly need to be involved and there are risks."

Niklaus sat forward. "Involved how and what risks?"

"It seems she will need to be in a trance of sorts; it will enable her to see the veil so she can assist Kol from this side as he will be unable to push through on his own. It's a type of fail-safe; Bella would risk being pulled through to the other side and unless the spirit has a strong connection to someone on this side that's willing to take that chance…"

They both fell quiet as they thought it over. Both knew without having to ask her that Bella would risk anything to save their brother. Whether or not they admitted it out loud, it was clear they were very much in love.

The silence was interrupted after a few moments by a frantic knocking at the front door. The brothers exchanged a look and both got up quickly to answer it, curious as to who it could be. Hardly anyone knew they were in this residence and the few that did know would be unlikely to knock.

Niklaus pulled open the large door to reveal the young witch Davina standing there, a large bag over her shoulder with another at her feet and a panicked look on her face.

Pushing aside their surprise they ushered her inside, gently taking her bags as they did.

"You were right, he totally lied to me. He said the witches were searching again and he was moving me somewhere safer, that I had to pack and that he'd be back to get me." Davina babbled nervously as she followed them in.

"So he just left you alone?" Elijah asked abruptly as they walked into the sitting room.

Davina smiled weakly. "No, he left a vampire guarding me, but he was no problem." At their raised eyebrows she smiled sheepishly. "I made it seem like he was attacked from behind, he won't know it was actually me."

"So they will assume that you were kidnapped." Niklaus chuckled, shaking his head. He was actually quite impressed with this girl, though something was niggling at him. "How did you know where to find us? I know our sister will have told Marcel we are here by now, but surely he didn't tell you."

Davina blushed heavily and reached into a side pocket on one of her bags, pulling out a small dark phial. She held it out to Elijah deliberately not meeting his eyes. "I used some of this for a locator spell, it's yours; Marcel wanted me to experiment on it…" she looked at him pleadingly now. "I don't have any more I promise."

Elijah nodded and took the tiny bottle, recognising its contents as his blood. He pocketed it silently and smiled reassuringly at the young witch before speaking. "It will not be long before Marcel comes here searching for you. We can deal with their ability to enter the property, but it would be preferable if they believed you are not here."

Turning to the Grimoire and quickly rifling through it, he held it out to Davina indicating a spell on the page. "Do you think you could do this?"

Reading the spell carefully, Davina nodded. It was no more complicated than stuff she had already been doing. It seemed to be similar to a silencing spell, only it would in effect silence a person to the outside world. To anyone outside the property it would simply appear as if she was not there. It was a clever piece of spellwork and Davina admired the ingenuity of it.

Davina was still intently studying the Grimoire when Bella came down the stairs a short while later.

"Ah, there you are Bella. Good _nap_ was it?" Niklaus smirked, unable to resist teasing her.

Bella froze for a second feeling embarrassed then mentally shrugged, if this was how he wanted to play it…

She looked at him, forcing a too-sweet smile on her face. "Actually it was a _fantastic_ nap, thanks for asking. Though perhaps you should be getting more nap time in yourself if you're feeling the need to ask about mine."

A badly disguised chuckle came from Elijah as Davina giggled, "They're not talking about sleeping, are they?"

"Bella, this is Davina." Elijah introduced them as Bella blushed after realising there was someone else there.

"Nice to meet you," Bella smiled gently at the girl then cocked her head at Elijah. "Rebekah went straight to Marcel huh?"

"Yes, exactly as we guessed, though they currently only have their suspicions to go on. We need to move ahead with getting Kol back with us as soon as possible, before they have more than just an inkling of what we may be planning."

He got up and walked to a bureau at the side of the room, pulling out a sheaf of papers before striding back to Bella with them. "These will solve one problem." He said, holding the paper out to her, "I may have bought this house, but vampires cannot claim ownership in the same way a human can. These papers are legally binding… sign them and this house will belong to you, thus preventing any vampires from entering without invitation."

Bella stared at him wide-eyed as she took the documents from him. Seeing her discomfort Elijah continued, "If it will make you more comfortable, you may sign the house back to me as soon as it is safe to do so, but the sooner you sign these, the sooner you and Davina will be protected here."

Bella nodded and took the pen he was holding out, signing each of the places he pointed out to her. As she completed the last signature both Niklaus and Elijah began to choke for breath and guessing correctly what was happening Bella quickly invited them in, sighing in relief as they began breathing normally again.

Niklaus smirked, opening his mouth, but before he could speak Hayley appeared in the doorway.

"What's going on?" She eyed Davina and her bags. "And why do we have another houseguest?"

**~*~II~*~**

_Hold my hand_

_I can hear the ghost calling_

_Help me stand_

_Even if the sky's falling_

_And I want you to know_

_I can't do it alone_

_Hold my hand, my hand, my hand_

Bella and Davina sat on the sitting room floor, passing the Grimoires back and forth as they researched every detail of the spells needed to bring back Kol.

Davina had easily performed the spell to disguise her presence inside the house, also quickly repeating the spell on Bella. Bella had then taken the time to tell the young witch her story, especially about how she had met Kol and then ended up in New Orleans.

Hayley was hidden away upstairs, only appearing once briefly after Elijah had hurried her away, and that was just to get something to eat before she disappeared again. Niklaus was still extremely angry with her so it would probably be unwise to be in the same room for some time.

Davina had been quite unimpressed with '_the bitchy wolf_' as she thought of her, and had quietly told Bella so. Making Bella giggle and Niklaus stifle a laugh as he had listened in to their conversation.

Bella had told Davina everything about meeting his younger brother, and Niklaus had realised as he'd listened that if he'd ever had doubts of Bella's feelings then he wouldn't have them now. It was obvious in the way she spoke about him that she was completely devoted to Kol, just like Elijah and himself had thought.

He had been surreptitiously watching the two girls for the last couple of hours as he sat there with his sketchbook. He'd surprised himself with the thought that he was actually glad they were getting along, though he reasoned that it would make things easier if they did.

As he watched them, he realised they had spent a long time caught up in their research and had not yet had a break. With an irritated sigh he got up and headed to the kitchen. Normally Elijah could be relied on to deal with things like this but Elijah had gone out after seeing to Hayley, so it fell to him to be _nice_ – something he wasn't particularly fond of being.

Spying some leftover apple pie, he divided it between three plates before rummaging in the fridge for some juice for the girls and filling two glasses. From the second fridge he pulled out a blood bag and heated it before emptying it into a glass for himself then loading up a tray, he headed back to the sitting room and placed it beside the girls, taking a plate of pie and the glass of blood back to his seat with him.

Seeing their identical looks of confusion he nodded to the tray. "Take a break; you've been at it for ages."

Davina opened her mouth to speak and Bella clapped her hand over it. "No, don't question it… and whatever you do, don't call him nice!" She grinned up at Niklaus. "…He won't like it."

"Ah, how well you already know me." Niklaus smirked, lifting his glass of blood to his lips. He grinned as Davina turned away looking nauseated, but Bella kept watching.

"What?" She asked as he raised an eyebrow at her. "I have to get used to it eventually, I mean, Kol's not going to want to feed off me every time he…"

Niklaus snorted with laughter, cutting her off. "I wouldn't say that love, I'd bet he'd be only too happy to constantly feed from you, judging by those delightful noises you make anyway." He grinned as she blushed again while Davina giggled behind her. Far too easy…

His tone turned serious as he watched her. "You would actually _want_ him to continue to feed from you then?"

Bella nodded, still blushing. "Well yes," she mumbled looking at the floor, embarrassed to be having the conversation, "It probably sounds silly, but I don't really like the idea of him feeding off anyone else now…"

Niklaus nodded understandingly, her own experiences with Kol would certainly put her off the idea of him drinking from another, no matter how out of the ordinary those experiences were. Feeding was an entirely different experience when feelings and most especially love were involved, though it should really be Kol that explained that to her. Instead he just smiled, a small but genuine one, and told her: "My brother is a lucky man Bella, and I'm certain he would be willing to do whatever you ask of him."

Hayley stood on the stairs, her werewolf hearing having allowed her to pick up the tail-end of the conversation in the sitting room. She clenched her fists in anger; surely this Bella chick wasn't talking about _Elijah_ feeding from her? Because it just didn't make sense for her to be talking about the other brother, he was dead – or on the other side anyway. Either way it upset Hayley to hear Niklaus being so nice to Bella, because even when she had slept with him he hadn't been that nice to _her_ and even now that she was pregnant with his child he still wasn't.

Waiting a few moments so that no one would know she had heard anything, she continued down the stairs and marched through the sitting room, ignoring the three occupants who were now just sitting and quietly eating pie. As she got her drink and left, again just striding straight past the others, she resolved to speak to Elijah about it. At least he would tell her the truth about his relationship with this _Bella_, because surely he knew he could do better.

**~*~III~*~**

_Mmm you're the reason why_

_I can write a different story_

_Lift me up, lift me up_

_Falling on my knees again, baby_

_Hold my hand_

_I feel the ghost calling_

_Help me stand_

_I can see the sky falling_

It had quickly been decided that they would go ahead with the attempt to bring back Kol the very next night. It would be a new moon and though usually a full moon afforded more power, for this kind of ritual that would go against the laws of nature a new moon could work just as well. Nobody felt safe waiting until the full moon, there was just too much that could go wrong before then. Plus, though no one wanted to come out and say it, there was the fact that Hayley couldn't be trusted not to run off to Rebekah and Marcel and tell them everything.

Elijah had been deeply troubled when Hayley had cornered him after dinner, her jealous accusations and petty viciousness showing him a side of her that he didn't care for. He had simply listened as she had spouted off vitriol about the other two females in the house until she registered the cold look on his face and had stopped speaking mid-sentence.

Waiting until he knew she was paying attention and would stay silent he spoke quietly but in an unmistakeably icy tone, telling her that she was not the woman he had thought she was and that she would do well to remember that it was his house she was staying in before being so rude about his guests. Furthermore he had added that although he was not in any kind of relationship with Bella it would be absolutely none of her business even if he was.

Hayley had disappeared with her figurative tail between her legs and had not been seen for the rest of the night.

After spending the evening with Niklaus, Elijah and Davina going over the plans for the next day, Bella had been relieved to get to bed and slip into her dreams to visit Kol.

He had been there in their meadow right away, sweeping her into his arms, his mouth against hers and hands frantic as they seemed to try and map every inch of her. Bella could only surrender to it as Kol kissed her as if it were the last time he would ever see her, and her last coherent thought was that if things went wrong it possibly could be.

Backing her against a tree, Kol slid his hands down to Bella's thighs, lifting her to wrap her legs around his waist, taking advantage of her elevated position to kiss his way down her neck delighting in her weaving her hand through his hair as he did.

"I know we should probably talk darling," he mumbled into her neck in between open mouthed kisses that made her toes curl. "But right now I just need to _feel_ you."

Bella tried to answer him, but all that came out was a whimper as he trailed lower with his mouth to where her tank top revealed the top of her breast, lifting her up slightly so he could suck on the skin there. His hand rubbed up and down her thigh and he growled in irritation at the fabric barrier there, lowering her to the ground and tugging her plaid pyjama pants down until they fell to the floor, leaving her in just her tank and boyshorts.

His eyes darkened as he stared at her and then picked her back up, again crushing his mouth to hers. Deciding against the tree, he moved to the grass and concentrated briefly to make a blanket appear to lay her down on. As he hovered over Bella, her legs falling open landing her knees either side of his hips, her hands slid underneath his shirt tracing her way up his back then around and down his sides. Shuddering under her touch, Kol pulled back and with a cheeky wink pulled his shirt over his head, smirking as she stared at him wide-eyed, her hand now resting on his exposed chest.

Eyes raking over him, his broad chest and toned stomach, Bella blushed heavily as her gaze landed on the defined v shape of his hips and the happy trail leading down into his low slung jeans.

Kol laughed softly. "Oh, still so _innocent_, my sweet Bella… how much fun we can have changing that soon."

Not giving her enough time for any self-consciousness to build up he leant down, bracing himself on one arm and kissing her again as the other hand caressed her thigh. Bella roamed her hands over his torso, enjoying the feel of his bare skin, his muscles twitching minutely under her fingers.

He smiled against her mouth as he felt her wind her leg around him in an attempt to pull him closer, and leaning back just enough to watch her face, he gave in to her silent demand and ground down against her.

Bella clung to him, swept away on a sea of sensation as he kept moving against her, his free hand drifting under her clothing and touching every bit of skin it could reach, Bella's own hands stroking up his back, playing with the hair at the nape of his neck.

"Open your eyes." He whispered, and when she did the intensity in his face made Bella's breath catch in her throat. His eyes showing her everything he had yet to say out loud as she met his gaze.

The strength of the devotion she saw there was her undoing as she fell to pieces in his arms, his name spilling from her lips as she cried out, coming hard. Kol allowed himself to follow shortly after, moaning her name as he held Bella tightly to him.

Kol sighed contentedly as she cuddled into his side afterwards. They spent hours talking about everything and nothing, exploring each other, and as dawn approached they moved together once again, this time exchanging blood as they brought each other to completion.

The next day passed in a blur for Bella. Apart from a quick trip out for supplies by Elijah, there was very little preparation they could do. Hayley had avoided all of them as much as she could, which made things easier.

Now it was evening and it was time. Bella downed the foul smelling herbal mixture that Elijah had assisted Davina with preparing earlier in the day. Fighting back her gag reflex she looked up and the world turned blurry around the edges.

Bella soon forgot her rolling stomach as something suddenly caught her eye. There _he_ was, right in front of her. Though Bella was still vaguely aware of the others in the room, all of her focus was on Kol as for the first time she could see him outside of her dreams. She could see the veil too, forming a hazy curtain between them as he stood there smiling cheekily at her.

He was a little fuzzy, there was an odd transparency to him that made him look not quite real, but he was there and Bella was relieved as she saw he looked exactly the same as ever. She had harboured an irrational fear that he would look different somehow, that his projection of himself into her head would be altered from his usual appearance.

Stepping forward, she lifted up her hand, her palm facing him, as he lifted his hand and placed it against hers. Though she could not actually feel him, while Davina continued the incantation she became aware of a tingling sensation where their palms met. As the magic swelled in the room like a static charge the tingling faded only to be replaced with the solid feeling of a large hand pressed against hers.

Tears rolled down Bella's cheeks as she laced her fingers with Kol's, first his hand and then his arm becoming corporeal in front of her. Slowly they both brought up their other hands, entwining their fingers on that side too.

As Kol started to come further through, his hands intertwined as they were with Bella's now just about visible to the others, something tugged him back sharply, easily pulling Bella along with him as she used both her hands to hold onto him.

Jolted into action by Bella's panicked cry, Elijah was behind her in an instant, his arm wrapping around her waist as he braced himself, halting her progress towards the gap. "Just hold on tight to him," he told Bella as they steadily began moving backwards again, "I've got you, you just hold onto Kol."

Niklaus moved over to Davina who he had seen was beginning to shake with the effort of holding the veil open, a thin trickle of blood coming from her nose. He placed a supporting hand on her shoulder and was taken by surprise when she reached up to grab it and started to draw energy from him.

It wasn't a particularly pleasant sensation but as her voice grew steadier and the trembling stopped, he could see it was helping and relaxed into it. The unexpected feeling of closeness surprised them both as he allowed her to draw strength from him, and as Niklaus felt her sheer guts and determination to help his family Davina earned herself a lifelong friend.

Davina refocused on the veil, her eyes hard as she kept chanting, forcing the gap just a little wider. Combined with Elijah's efforts in helping Bella stand strong as she held onto Kol for dear life it was just enough and there was a bright flash of light as the veil snapped closed, the backlash sending them all flying.

Niklaus was the first to break the abrupt silence, grunting as the impact of hitting the floor spread throughout his body, he had broken Davina's fall as they'd landed but in the process had been unable to break his own. Helping the young witch to sit up first, he accepted Elijah's proffered hand to help him up to his feet.

Kol and Bella hadn't moved since they'd landed with him on top, his weight braced on his arms as he looked down at her. Time seemed to stand still for them as they gazed into each other's eyes in wonder.

Kol felt the words '_I love you_' bubble up in his throat but instead of voicing them he leant down and kissed her, short and sweet and putting everything he felt into it. He pulled back, laughing in sheer joy and got to his feet, lifting Bella up with him and twirling around in a circle with her.

Davina beamed at the couple, and rare smiles graced both Niklaus and Elijah's faces as they watched their younger brother spin, with a look of utter adoration on his face for the woman he loved, the woman that had just saved him.

**~0~**

_Hold my hand_

_I can hear the ghost calling_

_Help me stand_

_I can see the sky falling_

_And I need you to know_

_I can't do this alone_

_Hold my hand, my hand, my hand_

* * *

_Chapter title and Song lyrics are from Hold My Hand ~ The Fray_

_Masses of credit as ever to my Beta TheCoreConundrum (and if you haven't checked out the first chapter of her crossover yet, you should)_

_Thanks to everyone who has reviewed and/or followed. It looks like I'm about to break the 200+ review mark on this story, which is just awesome!_


	9. Chapter 9, Full of That Fire

**_The Push and Pull of Things, Chapter 9, Full of That Fire_**

_I don't own anything except the plot… and its probably more likely that the plot actually owns me..._

**_So... HUGE NEWS..._**

**_I am nominated in the Fanatic Fanfics Multifandom Awards!_**

**_I'm up for 4 awards altogether... Favourite Romance and Favourite Work-In-Progress for this story, and Favourite Undiscovered for both this and By Your Side!_**

**_If you haven't voted yet, please go vote at fanaticfanficsawards. blogspot. co. uk/ Voting closes 14-April_**

* * *

**~0~**

_She's so fierce and full of that fire_

_What's a boy to do?_

_She yells and I crumble, she's got the power_

_She's barely five foot two_

_She's a hurricane_

_I see the waves crashing in the harbour_

_Just beyond the break_

_I should run and hide with the others_

_But I can't look away_

_She's a hurricane_

**~*~I~*~**

It had been a couple of hours since his return and Kol had barely let go of the woman currently curled up in his lap, half asleep.

For a good few minutes he hadn't even looked away from Bella, but when he eventually did his gaze had landed right on his brothers and the young witch standing in between them.

Letting go of Bella after one last kiss, he had approached them with her by his side, momentarily forgetting any semblance of pride, quickly grabbed Niklaus in a fierce hug. Both of the brothers' eyes were conspicuously wet as they grasped each other.

Kol then faced Elijah with a serious look on his face. Elijah returned his gaze and smiled ruefully. "I have wronged you brother…" After a brusque nod from Kol, he continued, "I shall endeavour to never do it again."

Kol wavered for a moment, indecisively before his face softened a little and he nodded again. "All is not forgiven brother," he said quietly before a small smile appeared, "But we shall work on it."

They embraced each other briefly, Elijah feeling relieved that he would get a chance to make things right. Bella had stood hugging Davina as they watched the brothers' reunion, smiling through their tears.

"Just so we're clear… the crying and hugging never happened." Kol stated. Elijah and Niklaus quickly nodded in agreement as the girls giggled at them.

Now Kol was sitting there, drink in hand, while Bella exhaled little tickling puffs of air against his neck as she drifted closer to sleep. The little witch Davina had long since dozed off on the sofa, and had somehow ended up with her head resting on Nik's leg as she slept peacefully, though it didn't seem to be bothering Nik at all. If it did, Kol couldn't tell.

He found it quite amusing to see his brother, the big bad hybrid, with the petite girl sleeping on him and wondered if Nik even realised that he was playing with the girl's hair with one hand as he sipped the drink he held in the other one.

Judging by the small, knowing smirk on Elijah's face, he had noticed it and drawn his own conclusions, but then very little ever escaped Elijah's notice.

As Bella snuggled in closer to him, she sighed his name in her sleep, and Kol grinned and knocked back the last of his bourbon before putting down the glass.

"Sounds like it's time for bed." His cheeky grin got wider at the chuckling from his brothers as he gathered Bella up in his arms, carefully standing with her as she mumbled his name again and clutched his shirt.

"I don't what you're laughing at Nik… Did you forget that you have your own cute little brunette asleep on your lap?" Niklaus shrugged in response, an unrepentant smirk forming that Elijah thought made him and Kol look uncannily alike for a moment.

Kol opened his mouth to say something else but closed it again when Bella moved in her sleep, burying her face into his neck and shifting her body against his. His eyes widened comically, and with one last slightly dazed grin he left the room, his brothers laughing loudly in his wake.

The noise and Niklaus' body shaking with laughter woke Davina, who looked around confused for a moment. When she realised where she'd been laying, her cheeks flushed in embarrassment, and she struggled to sit up. Her self-consciousness increased when she noticed Elijah watching as Niklaus helped her sit upright.

Something tugged inside Niklaus as he looked at the exhausted girl now sitting next to him. He decided for once not to be an ass, instead just smoothly telling her, "You should get some proper sleep, love."

Davina nodded, still not quite awake. Niklaus stood up, ignoring Elijah's amused look. He surprisingly found himself helping the witch to her feet and then walking her to the bedroom that had been set up for her. He was genuinely concerned that she wouldn't make there otherwise.

Davina shifted awkwardly as they reached the bedroom door, she was suddenly uncomfortably aware how close her room happened to be to where she suspected Niklaus' room was. "I'm okay from here." She whispered.

Niklaus looked at her intensely for a long moment and then stepped forward, his hand briefly cupping her cheek as he kissed her forehead. "Goodnight little witch." He said quietly and turned away, heading back down the hallway and downstairs before she could respond.

Davina touched her cheek where his hand had been and wondered if she'd just imagined what had happened, she couldn't wonder for long though as another wave of fatigue hit and she realised she'd fall asleep where she stood if she didn't move soon.

Niklaus walked back into the sitting room and glared as he caught the smirk on Elijah's face. "Not a bloody word brother."

"I think it's…" Elijah started but never got to finish the thought as Niklaus interrupted him.

"I said _NOT A BLOODY WORD!_" He roared and strode out of the room.

Elijah sighed and automatically began to tidy up, collecting up the glasses they had all used, then heading into the kitchen with them. On his way back out, he spotted Niklaus' sketch book sitting on a side table and couldn't resist having a look at it.

He flicked through the pages carefully, impressed as he had always been with his brother's talent. He was unsurprised as he reached several drawings of Bella, all beautifully done, but it was the last sketch in the book that really caught his attention.

Brought to life there on the page were Bella and Davina. It appeared to be when they were studying the Grimoires; as in the picture they were surrounded by books, but the picture captured a moment where they were sitting, laughing together. It was an exquisite portrait and the care that had gone into it spoke volumes about his brother's affection for both girls.

Sighing again he carefully set the book back where he had found it. Niklaus was certainly an enigma, but expecting him to talk about things was probably too much right now.

**~*~II~*~**

_And I hear thunder_

_But I won't run, I won't run._

_I wanna meet her_

_I wanna see her dancing in the street_

_I wanna feel her_

_I wanna hold her body close to me._

_Yeah, yeah_

_But she's a hurricane._

Kol reached the bedroom that he had been 'sharing' with Bella and hesitated. He was uncertain suddenly, and it wasn't a feeling he was used to or particularly liked. Should he wake Bella so she could get changed, or should he just let her sleep…?

Before he could wind himself up too much, Bella seemed to sense his agitation and stirred against him, lifting her head from his shoulder.

"Kol?" She asked sleepily as he set her down on the edge of the king size bed, "What's going on?"

Regaining his equilibrium now that he was no longer touching her, he answered, "Nothing darling, it's just time for bed." A rosy flush colored Bella's cheeks and quickly spread across her face.

"Now what could have you turning such a lovely red for me, hmm?" Kol all but purred at her, ducking his head to look into her eyes, "What's going on in that pretty little head of yours?"

He smirked slightly, "It wouldn't happen to be because I talked about us going to _bed_ would it?"

An unintelligible squeak escaped Bella, and Kol smiled gently as he stroked her cheek. "Shh, my sweet girl," he murmured, "There's no need to be nervous, it's only a bed, nothing more… It's just you and me like always, only now we don't need to wait until you go to sleep to be together."

Bella relaxed at his words and smiled back at him, her hand coming up to brush against his where it was cupping her cheek. Turning his hand to capture hers, he brought it to his lips, kissing her wrist.

"Go get changed, darling." He said, releasing his hold on her. Still blushing faintly Bella dug through a drawer for some pyjamas and headed into the en-suite bathroom.

While Bella was in the other room, Kol found some pyjama bottoms to wear and quickly threw them on. Fortunately, either Nik or Elijah at some point had thought ahead and acquired some basic essentials for him. He made a mental note to go on a shopping trip soon, to supplement what was there.

Just as he was pulling on a plain t-shirt, Bella padded back into the room, stopping abruptly just inside the door when she got an eyeful of him in just his bottoms, shirt still halfway over his head.

Kol smirked lightly when he pulled the t-shirt down and saw Bella standing there staring at him, her eyes wide.

As she stood there in her tank top and a pair of pyjama pants, he couldn't stop his eyes roaming over her.

Seeing her nerves start to build up again he slowly walked towards her, taking her bundle of clothes from her and tossing them into the nearby laundry hamper. Taking her hand, he led her towards the bed, pulling back the covers and nudging her to get in, before moving around the room, switching off the lights as he took a moment to center himself.

Though he wasn't about to admit it, he understood Bella's uneasiness better than anyone would have guessed. He was far from inexperienced, but not only did everything seem to be heightened for him since his return some hours previously, but he had also never had feelings for anyone the way he did for Bella.

Leaving a small lamp on the dresser switched on so that the room was dimly lit, he moved back towards the bed, sliding in beside Bella and pulling her close. She snuggled into his side, her head resting on his chest. Kol felt like his skin was humming wherever she touched him.

Bella's fingers traced his stomach, and even through the layer of cotton it made Kol shudder. His hand reached up and grabbed hers, halting its movement. "If you don't stop that, you might get more than you bargained for, darling." His voice was barely above a low rumble and Bella moved her head to look up at him wide-eyed.

Her innocent and slightly confused expression as she looked at him made Kol growl lowly. "You have no clue what you do to me, have you?"

Bella smiled softly, and feeling uncharacteristically brave she pressed herself closer to him. "I may have a slight idea…"

With a growl he rolled them, Bella landing on her back with Kol half on top of her, his face buried in her neck as he kissed his way up and down it. "Oh no darling, you really have _no idea_." He purred between sucking on her sensitive spots, making her squirm against him.

His weight was braced on his left elbow as his hand slipped under her tank top, across her back, holding her to him as he continued his trail of soft, open mouthed kisses down her neck towards her chest. His right hand slid over her hip and dipped under her pyjama pants. "Hmm," he hummed against her skin, "These _really_ need to go."

He pulled lightly on the plaid fabric so that she knew what he was talking about. When she didn't protest, he gently tugged them down, grinning as she lifted her body to assist with their removal. Satisfied once she had kicked them off and was clad in just her tank top and skimpy boyshorts, he was about to lean down again when Bella pushed lightly against his shoulder. He looked at her, eyebrow raised questioningly and was pleasantly surprised when she lifted his shirt, indicating she wanted it off. Needless to say, he was happy to oblige. He yanked it off over his head and threw it in vaguely the same direction her pyjama pants had gone.

Bella sighed softly as he pulled her against him and hitched her leg up around his hip as they lay back down, his hand caressing her thigh. Bella's fingers resumed their trail, this time up and down his sides and around his back. Kol closed his eyes momentarily, the feel of her fingers brushing his skin setting his heightened senses on fire. A low moan leaving him as Bella tilted her head forward and brushed a lingering kiss on his collarbone.

He opened his eyes and the blissful, slightly stunned look on his face as he gazed at her made Bella's breath hitch at the thought that she could affect him in the same way he affected her.

Realising he had to do something before he lost it faster than a teenage boy, Kol shook off the haze and rolled to his back, pulling Bella with him, his hand gripping her ass, as was a habit of his.

Sitting up with her straddling his legs, he kissed her neck and worked his way down as she arched her neck, tilting her head back to give him better access. One of his hands held her to him as the other worked its way beneath her clothes, stroking her side and lower back. Liking this position for the access it gave him, his lips resumed their earlier path downwards and reaching the point where her tank top covered her breasts, he sucked lightly on the skin there, making Bella whimper.

Shifting both hands round to her hips, he trailed them up her sides, raising her tank top up with them.

"Okay?" he breathed, mouth brushing her ear.

Bella nodded shakily, still feeling a little nervous, but desperately not wanting him to stop what he was doing to her.

He lifted the tank over her head and pulled her against him, her arms winding around his neck as he kissed her deeply, his hands roaming her bare back and sides, soothing the tension from her.

His eyes wanted to roll back in his head as Bella relaxed into the kiss and pressed herself into him, her bare skin on his turning the humming feeling he had into a full blown choir chorus.

Breaking away to let her breathe, he attacked Bella's neck, sucking on his favourite spot and making her moan before working his way down yet again. This time there was no fabric barrier to stop him and he bent his head and kept going, his mouth finding a rosy nipple, his hands supporting Bella as she arched into him and cried out.

"_Oh god_." She moaned as he alternated flicking his tongue against her and sucking, one of her hands gripping his shoulder as the other tangled in his hair at the back of his head, tugging it slightly making him growl lowly against her skin.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, in the small part still capable of rational thought, Bella felt relieved that she had never gone past a few kisses with Edward. Kol was the first and hopefully would be the only person to ever make her feel this way. Emboldened by that thought and wanting to make him feel the same way she did, she started to explore his body; unwinding an arm from his neck and trailing her hand up his side and around to his back.

Kol lifted his head to look at her as she traced her way to his stomach, brushing her fingers across his abs, making him twitch slightly. He raised an inquisitive eyebrow at her as she pulled away from him, but let her go, moving up onto his own knees as she knelt in front of him, having a vague idea where she might be going with this.

Skimming her fingers over his stomach, Bella tentatively dipped her hand under the waistband of his pyjama pants, hesitating a little when she found that he wore nothing beneath them. The heated look in his eyes gave her all the encouragement she needed and her hand continued lower. Every muscle in Kol's body tensed and he let out a strangled grunt as she touched him skin on skin, her fingers brushing against his hardness. "_Fuck, Bella. Please…_" he moaned, not entirely sure what he was begging for other than for her to keep going.

Unsure of what she was doing, Bella froze slightly and feeling how uncertain she was, Kol moved his own hand down to cover hers briefly; guiding her movement as she stroked him, helping her find the right pressure. "_Ah, Bella_," He cried out as he let go and she found her confidence, twisting her grip just a little. "_Damn, that feels…_"

His head dropped to her shoulder as they knelt facing each other, and the sounds he was making close to her ear made her stomach clench, heat rising up through her abdomen.

Kol had never felt anything like it; in all his past encounters, never had he experienced anything like the feel of Bella's small hand touching him. He tried telling himself that he should be touching her in return, but he couldn't focus enough to do more than grip her hips as he exhaled shaky breaths against her neck.

Feeling the familiar tightening sensation rushing over him, he raised a hand and tangled it in Bella's hair, tugging her into a deep kiss as he pulled her hard against him. Trapping her hand between them as he shuddered and came hard, breaking the kiss to moan roughly and shout her name.

The sounds Kol made as he fell apart in front of her made Bella practically whimper in need. She was ridiculously turned on, and knowing she had put that beatific dazed smile on his face as he gazed at her now was only adding to it.

She watched as he almost seemed to shake it off, blinking and looking at her as his smile turned mischievous. "Oh sweet girl," he breathed, leaning in and kissing her quickly before putting his mouth to her ear, his lips brushing it as he whispered, "Your turn."

Now a whimper actually did escape her as she registered his words, and then suddenly he was kissing her again; his hands roaming, one sliding under her boyshorts to cup her bare ass as the other moved up to caress her breast, thumb teasing her nipple.

Kol shifted his lower hand slowly, sliding it around Bella's hip. He knew how innocent she was, loved it in fact, and didn't want to panic her by moving too fast. Feeling no trace of tension in her body he slid his hand lower, beneath her underwear, humming in appreciation against her lips at the moisture he found already waiting there.

Unused to the sensation as his fingers stroked her, Bella clung to him as her world tilted unsteadily. Kol sensed her precarious hold on her balance and in a move Bella couldn't quite decipher quickly had her lying on her back as he lay on his side beside her.

His hand resumed its previous activity, fingers stroking her as he leant in and kissed her, swallowing her loud cry as he found her bundle of nerves and lightly circled it. New as this was for her, it didn't take much more for her to reach her orgasm, her muscles tightening as she panted his name.

Not completely satisfied, he slowed until she came down and then gently slid his finger lower, easily slipping it inside her and then stilling for a moment to allow her to get used to it.

"Oh my god." Bella breathed as he began to move. Her hips rose and fell as she lost herself in the sensation when he added a second finger and bent his head to her breast, flicking his tongue against her nipple and sucking it between his lips.

Feeling her walls fluttering as she got close, he pulled back to watch her face and curled his fingers inside her, hitting the magic spot as he thrust them. He wasn't disappointed when she came violently, her whole body quivering as she wailed his name.

Soothing her through the aftershocks, he kissed her softly and then got up, swiftly changing into a clean pair of boxers as Bella got up and headed to the bathroom, making him smirk when she swiped his t-shirt to wear.

A few moments later she was cuddled back into his side in bed, his arm around her as her head rested on his chest, just above his heart. Dropping a quick kiss on her head, Kol laid back and closed his eyes as they both drifted off to sleep.

**~*~III~*~**

_Lost in the riot, peace and quiet_

_And the wanderlust_

_I'll be hers and she'll be mine_

_From dust to dust_

_She's a hurricane_

Elijah was surprised at breakfast the next morning when Niklaus seemed in a fairly chipper mood after his outburst the night before. He had even spoken to Davina as they all sat there. He was politely distant though, and though Davina was aware and seemed a little hurt by it, it was certainly better than the alternative as far as Elijah was concerned.

He had been worried that Niklaus might lash out at the girl rather than acknowledge any feelings he might have; instead he seemed to be ignoring it altogether. Not the healthiest route, but more than likely the easiest route for Davina for the time being. Elijah liked the witch, she might be young but she was brave and had spirit, and though he thought she could be just what his brother needed, he didn't want to see that spirit broken while Niklaus figured things out.

His musing was interrupted as Kol walked into the room with Bella, his cheeky grin firmly in place as they sat at the table.

"I'm surprised you've both joined us," Niklaus smirked, "I wouldn't have expected you to surface for a day at least."

Kol grinned widely as Bella's cheeks pinked. "I plan to return to thoroughly debauching my girl as soon as we're finished down here."

Davina started giggling as Bella slapped Kol's arm, a faintly self-conscious smile on her face as he smiled down at her. Though the joking made her feel a little awkward, the sheer joy she had felt at waking up with him wrapped around her that morning made it impossible for her to feel truly embarrassed.

Though she had fallen asleep in his arms a few times in her dreams, this had been the first time she had ever gotten to wake up with him still there. Though she'd been amused to find that his hand had drifted up underneath the shirt she had stolen from him, and was copping a feel even as he slept.

"You must be losing your touch brother," Niklaus smirked, "I never heard a thing…"

Kol opened his mouth to retort but stopped as Davina giggled even louder. "You wouldn't have heard anything," she got out between laughs, "I cast a silencing spell on Bella's room yesterday afternoon… I thought we might need it."

Elijah snorted into his coffee as Bella hid her face against Kol while he puffed out his chest proudly.

"Sorry Bella," Davina offered, still smiling, "But at least you get some privacy that way."

Bella giggled softly and lifted her head away from where it was buried in Kol's shirt. "There is that to it." She agreed.

Taking a seat at the table, she reached for some toast while Kol headed to the kitchen, coming back out a moment later drinking a glass of blood. He took the seat next to Bella again, his arm brushing hers, triggering the now familiar humming feeling across his skin.

They had been sitting there a few minutes when the sound of footsteps on the stairs alerted the vampires to Hayley's approach. Sure enough, a moment later she appeared in the doorway and stopped dead at the sight in front of her.

Hayley had never seen Kol before, but his resemblance to Elijah was unmistakable, and the smirk on his face was the same one Klaus often wore.

"Oh my god," she muttered, "You're actually…"

"Kol Mikaelson, at your ser… well no, I'm at Bella's service, but I'm sure you get the point." Kol smirked at the dumbfounded werewolf.

"How?" Hayley asked, as she approached the table and sat down warily, as far away from Klaus as possible.

"Magic and a spot of team work." Klaus answered Hayley neutrally, surprising her. Accepting the verbal ceasefire at face value, she simply nodded to him in reply. It did make life easier if she and Klaus weren't at each other's throats, or rather if he wasn't at hers.

Curious about the youngest Original brother, Hayley quietly watched him through breakfast and soon realised what a big mistake she'd made thinking that Elijah had anything going on with Bella. She didn't understand how it could be possible, but Bella and Kol were far too comfortable with each other to have only just met, and actually looked to her like they could be in love.

Seeing her furrowed brow as she looked at the couple, Elijah leant towards her, "He has been visiting her dreams for months." He explained quietly.

Hayley nodded absently, she still didn't understand how it was possible, but their closeness made a bit more sense to her now. She felt a pang of jealousy, even though Bella was not with Elijah like she had previously thought, she still had something that Hayley wanted… The affection of an Original brother, albeit it a different one.

Her recent jealousy and bitchy behaviour had probably destroyed any chance she had with Elijah, and it stung to realise it.

Sitting across the table Kol sat with his arm around Bella, joking with Niklaus as he enjoyed the simple pleasure of actually being able to sit down for breakfast. Though they would still have Marcel, Rebekah and probably the New Orleans witches to deal with, he didn't really care what came next in their lives. He was back now and as long as he had Bella and what remained of his family he would deal with whatever came along.

**~0~**

_The sun is rising_

_The rain is falling_

_I wanna give you all that's left of me_

_I will run_

_I will run_

_Into the hurricane_

* * *

_*Hides face __and blushes furiously* please be nice... it's my first (almost) lemon..._

_Chapter title and Song lyrics are from Hurricane ~ The Fray_

___Massive thank you, big hugs and a huge blue popsicle to Becky (mommy4thomas) who offered to quickly beta this chapter before I panicked, lost my nerve, and deleted it... if you liked the chapter, you should also be thanking her for her suggesting the 'under the pants' action :D_

_Don't forget to vote in the Fanatic Fanfic awards (I have posted the link on my profile page) Thanks as usual to everyone who reviews/follows, you're all awesome._

_If by any chance I've crossed the *adult content threshold* (and I possibly have now) and the FFnet Nazis decide my story has to go, then everything I write is already also on my Wordpress site, link for that is on my profile._


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